95th Season Program Book

2024-2025

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FROM OUR

PRESIDENT

KATIE THORNTON

FROM OUR

EXECUTIVE

DIRECTOR

COURTNEY MILLBROOK

Welcome to the Lansing Symphony

Orchestra’s 95th Season!

Whether you are a frequent attendee

to the LSO or joining us for the first

time, thank you for joining us for

this year’s incredible season. We

are looking forward to a wonderful

selection of classical and pops

concerts, chamber music, and more!

Our mission is to enrich lives

through excellence in music and in

educational outreach. We can’t wait

to experience the new outstanding

and unique works from Jared Miller,

our current Composer-In-Residence,

and to continue our investment in our

community youth through the Family

Series at the Library, Side-by-Side

Student Orchestra, Young People’s

Concert: Link Up, and much more!

Thank you for joining us for tonight’s

performance. Our success relies on

your generous support, as ticket

prices cover only a fraction of the

total concert cost.

I invite you to consider contributing

to the LSO in any way that you

can. Your contribution will help

us continue to bring you the best

performances, musicians, and

opportunities for our youth and

community to experience the magic

of music, all under the direction of

Maestro Timothy Muffitt.

Please visit our website,

www.lansingsymphony.org

or call our office at 517-487-5001

to learn more.

Lastly, I want to thank our

dedicated and hard-working

team at the LSO, who ensure that

each performance is flawless.

Katie Thornton

Board President, Lansing

Symphony Association, Inc.

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the Lansing Symphony

Orchestra! On behalf of our

Board of Directors, musicians,

and staff, thank you for joining us

in this wonderful experience.

This season promises to be

extraordinary, and I encourage you to

explore more than just one concert—

each program is uniquely curated.

You will encounter both beloved

classics and exciting new works that

may surprise and delight you. While

the orchestra is a wonderful keeper

of tradition and history, we are also

dedicated to forging new paths

and reflecting our time and place.

In Lansing, we are privileged to

be part of a vibrant community

brimming with talent, creativity,

and generosity. This season, we are

excited to collaborate with an array

of remarkable local organizations,

including the Transcendence

Performing Arts Center, All of

The Above Hip Hop Academy,

Capital City Film Festival, The

Robin Theatre, as well as churches,

schools, and libraries. These

partnerships are sure to inspire and

bring us all closer together.

As we celebrate 95 years of artistic

excellence, I am honored to be part

of a community that so generously

supports this exceptional orchestra.

We could not thrive without the

financial contributions from our

patrons. Thank you for being a

vital part of our journey and this

inspirational work.

Enjoy the experience,

Courtney Millbrook

Executive Director

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FROM OUR PRESIDENT/FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

5

TIMOTHY MUFFITT

This season marks Timothy Muffitt’s

19th season as Music Director and

Conductor of the Lansing Symphony

Orchestra. In addition to his work

in Lansing, he continues to appear

with other prominent orchestras

around the country. Recent seasons

have included concerts with the

St. Louis, Flint, Tulsa, Atlanta, and

Ann Arbor Symphonies. Prior years

have included return engagements

with the San Francisco, Houston,

Long Beach, Phoenix and Virginia

Symphonies as well as the Buffalo

Philharmonic. Muffitt recently

MUSIC DIRECTOR

& CONDUCTOR

concluded a 21-year tenure as

Music Director of the Baton

Rouge Symphony Orchestra for

which he was honored with the

title Music Director Laureate.

Other guest appearances have

taken Muffitt to the podiums of

The Hollywood Bowl, Edmonton,

and Spokane Symphonies,

Columbus Ohio’s Pro Musica

Chamber Orchestra, the Grant

Park Music Festival Orchestra

in Chicago and the Harrisburg

(PA) Symphony among others.

Muffitt is also Artistic Director

of the School of Music for

the Chautauqua Institution in

Chautauqua, New York where he

conducts the Music School Festival

Orchestra, one of the country’s

premiere training ensembles for

conservatory and university students

aspiring for careers in music.

Along with the continued

artistic growth of his orchestras,

Muffitt’s work has been noted

for its innovative and imaginative

programming, broadly diverse

repertoire, and fresh, engaging

audience experiences. A strong

proponent of community arts

education, Muffitt has been

very active in musical outreach

through the venues of radio,

lecture, and social media,

presenting arts-enrichment

programs through a variety of

formats for diverse audiences.

Formerly Associate Conductor with

the Austin Symphony, Muffitt was

also Artistic Director of the Louisiana

Philharmonic’s Casual Classics Series

in New Orleans for over a decade. It

was for his work in this role that Mr.

Muffitt was awarded a Certificate

of Meritorious Service from the

American Federation of Musicians.

Prominent performers and

composers with whom Mr. Muffitt

has worked include Lang Lang,

Yo-Yo Ma, Renee Fleming, Dame Kiri

Te Kanawa, Andre Watts, Alicia de

Larrocha, Pinchas Zukerman, Van

Cliburn, Lynn Harrell, Itzhak Perlman,

and composers John Cage, Joseph

Schwantner, Ellen Taffe Zwilich, John

Harbison, Joan Tower and Bernard

Rands among many others.

Visit timothymuffitt.com

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MUSIC DIRECTOR & CONDUCTOR

7

Program, and with the Victoria

Symphony from 2014-2017.

An advocate for musical education

and outreach, Miller has taught

and performed in several initiatives

including The Juilliard School’s

Music Advancement Program, the

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

Connects Program, BC’s Health

Arts Society, Vancouver’s Opera

in the Schools, and New York’s

Opportunity Music Project.

JARED MILLER COMPOSER-IN-

RESIDENCE

Described as a “rising star” by

MusicWorks magazine, JUNO-

Nominated composer Jared Miller

has collaborated with the American

Composers Orchestra, the Victoria

and Nashville Symphonies, the

symphony orchestras of Vancouver,

Toronto, Detroit and New Jersey, The

Attacca Quartet, Latitude 49, the

New York City Ballet’s Choreographic

Institute, Exponential Ensemble,

the Emily Carr String Quartet and

Standing Wave. His music has been

featured and recognized in the

New York Philharmonic’s Biennial

(2014), the ISCM World Music Days

(2017 & 2019), Vancouver’s Queer

Arts Festival (2010, 2015 & 2019),

and the Festival Internacional

de Jóvenes Orquestas (2019).

Recent accolades include SOCAN’s

Jan V. Matejcek Award, young

composer prizes from the SOCAN

and ASCAP Foundations, and a

nomination for the 2020 JUNO

Award for Classical Composition of

the Year. He has also held residencies

at the Banff Centre, I-Park’s

International Artist-in-Residence

Miller holds Masters and Doctor

of Musical Arts degrees from the

Juilliard School where he studied

with Samuel Adler and John

Corigliano. He has also studied at

the University of British Columbia

with Stephen Chatman, Dorothy

Chang, Sara Davis Buechner, and

Corey Hamm. He is currently

Assistant Professor of Music

Composition at the University of

North Carolina School of the Arts.

Visit jaredmillermusic.wordpress.com

THE LSO’S COMPOSER-IN-

RESIDENCE PROGRAM

is made possible with a lead gift from

the Sam & Mary Austin Fund for New

Music at the Lansing Symphony.

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA COMPOSER-IN-RESIDENCE

9

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

VIOLIN

Allyson Cohen

William Thain

Susanne Garber

CONCERTMASTER

Lauren Hansen

Tom & Wendy Hofman‡

Stefan Hubenov

Michael Bechtel

Shruthi Kattumenu

ASSISTANT CONCERTMASTER Ji Hyun Kim

April Clobes And Glen Brough‡ Yuanmaio Li

Florina Georgia Petrescu

Ying-Li Pan

PRINCIPAL VIOLIN II

Meg Rohrer

Richard & Lorayne Otto‡

Tigran Shiganyan

Emily Hauer

Fangye Sun

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL VIOLIN II Olivia Taylor

Yu Xin

Hsin-Ju Yu

VIOLA

Benjamin Penzner

PRINCIPAL

Cliff & Sue Haka‡

Elinore Morin

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Ron & Carol Dooley‡

Christine Bastian**

Hannah Breyer

Linda Gregorian

David Schultz

Madeline Warner

Kristina Zeinstra

CELLO

Jinhyun Kim

PRINCIPAL

Jenny Bond‡

Myeonggyun Charles Noh**

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Sam & Mary Austin‡

Willis Koa

Stefan Koch**

Dooeun Lee

BASS

Edward Fedewa

PRINCIPAL

John & Fran Loose‡

Matthew Boothe**

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

Albert Daschle

Aaron Tenney

FLUTE

Richard Sherman

PRINCIPAL

Virginia P. & the Late

Bruce T. Allen‡

Bryan Guarnuccio

Kathryne Salo

THIRD FLUTE/PICCOLO

OBOE

Stephanie Shapiro

PRINCIPAL

David & Patricia Brogan‡

Gretchen Morse

SECOND OBOE/ENGLISH HORN

Hari Kern‡

CLARINET

Guy Yehuda

PRINCIPAL

Don & Jan Hines‡

Erin Dowler

BASSOON

Michael Kroth

PRINCIPAL

Eileen Ellis‡

Christian Green

HORN

Corbin Wagner

PRINCIPAL

Joe & Beth Anthony‡

Stephen Foster

Paul Clifton

TRUMPET

Neil Mueller

PRINCIPAL

Mark Davis

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

11

ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

95TH SEASON

TROMBONE

Ava Ordman

PRINCIPAL

Lyn Donaldson Zynda‡

John Robinson

BASS TROMBONE

Bryan Pokorney

TUBA

Philip Sinder

PRINCIPAL

Sue Davis‡

TIMPANI

Sarah Christianson

PRINCIPAL

PERCUSSION

Matthew Beck

PRINCIPAL

Catherine Claypool &

the Late Allan Claypool‡

Andrew Fritz

Andrew Cierny

HARP

Brittany DeYoung

PRINCIPAL

Jonathan & Amy Riekse‡

KEYBOARD

Patrick Johnson

PRINCIPAL

Sam & Jean Holland‡

**On Leave

‡ Chair Sponsors

Section string players are listed

alphabetically. The Lansing

Symphony incorporates a rotational

seating policy in the string sections.

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL

13

LANSING SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION,

INC.

PAST PRESIDENTS

1933-34 Dr. LeMoyne Snyder

1934-35 Mrs. John Brisbin

1935-37 Mrs. L. G. Bailey

1937-38 Mrs. C. L. Brody

1938-40 Mrs. Malcolm Denise

1940-41 Mrs. Grover O. Truxell

1941-42 Mr. O. W. Mourer

1942-44 Mrs. George Kieppe

1944-46 Mrs. E. A. Mackey

1946-48 Miss Pauline Austin

1948-49 Mrs. William King, Jr.

1949-51 Mrs. Harold S. Cole

1951-53 Dr. Peter Treleaven

1953-55 Mrs. Gilbert Burrell

1955-56 Mrs. Leonard Mayhew

1956-57 Mrs. B. Newlon Barber

1957-59 Dr. Sydney R. Govons

1959-61 Mr. C. Vincent Wright

1979-82 Mrs. David Kahn

1982-84 Mr. H. Perry Driggs

1984-86 Mr. Gerald M. Finch

1986-88 Mrs. Richard Byerrum

1988-89 Mr. R. Kenneth Gruber

1989-91 Mr. Edward B. McRee

1991-92 Mr. Craig Ruff

1992-93 Mr. Ronald Pentecost

1993-94 Mr. James Miller

1994-95 Mr. Thomas Fraser

1995-99 Mr. Craig Ruff

1999-01 Mr. James Savage

2001-06 Mrs. Virginia P. Allen

2006-07 Mr. William MacLeod

2007-08 Mr. Christopher Day

2008-09 Mr. James F. Anderton, IV

2009-11 Mr. Charles R. Hillary

2011-13 Dr. R. Samuel Holland

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Katie Thornton

PRESIDENT

Tom Hofman

PRESIDENT-ELECT

Darcy Kerr

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Karlis Austrins

TREASURER

Randy Rasch

SECRETARY

Ryan Opel

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Jake Przybyla

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Kevin Roragen

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Bethany Verble

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Christine Bastian**

Jenny Bond

Ruth Ann Brunet*

Bruce Caltrider

Kris Drake

Jim Engelkes

Nancy Johnson

Heidi Kaiser

John Loose

Tim Mielak

Courtney Nicholls

Jamie Paisley

Steve Robinson

Renee Roth

Jeffery Theuer

Bob Thomas

Jane Vieth

1961-63 Mr. Lee H. Witter

2013-15 Mr. Brian J. Lefler

*Affiliate Organization Representative

1963-65 Mr. Donavan A. Eastin

2015-17 Mr. Michael Rhodes

**Musician Representative

1965-67 Dr. William Lazer

1967-69 Mr. Raymond Joseph

1969-71 Mr. Max C. Ploughman

1971-72 Mr. C. Vincent Wright

1972-74 Mr. George G. Clemeson

1974-76 Judge Michael G. Harrison

1976-77 Mr. William Straub

1977-79 Mr. Max C. Ploughman

2017-19 Mr. Jonathan Riekse

2019-21 Ms. April Clobes

2021-23 Ms. Darcy Kerr

SYMPHONY ADMINISTRATION

Courtney Millbrook

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Timothy Muffitt

MUSIC DIRECTOR &

CONDUCTOR

Karen Dichoza

FINANCE & OPERATIONS

DIRECTOR

Michael Goodman

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Olivia Beebe

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

COORDINATOR

Paul Clifton

OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Ashleigh Lore

EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Teresa Bellamy

MUSIC LIBRARIAN

Vincent Muffitt

STAGE MANAGER

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA LANSING SYMPHONY ASSOCIATION, INC.

15

01 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

ENIGMA

VARIATIONS

FLAGELLO, MOZART, TCHAIKOVSKY, ELGAR

10.03.24

MASTERWORKS

SERIES

PRESENTED BY

Timothy Muffitt, conductor

Tommy Mesa, cello

Gala Flagello

Bravado

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Symphony No. 31 “Paris”

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Variations on a Rococo Theme

INTERMISSION

ADDITIONAL

SUPPORT

PROVIDED BY

Chalgian & Tripp

Law Offices PLLC

Clark Schaefer

& Hackett

Edward Elgar

Enigma Variations

Our 95th season opens with a musical journey featuring

cellist Tommy Mesa. The concert starts with Gala Flagello’s

energetic “Bravado,” followed by the classical elegance of

Mozart’s Symphony No. 31 “Paris”. This Rococo style inspires

Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme,” performed

by Mesa, where the cello converses with Mozart’s elegant

themes. The program concludes with Edward Elgar’s “Enigma

Variations,” showcasing Elgar’s rich, emotional landscapes as

he transforms familiar themes into intricate new narratives,

reflecting the evening’s exploration of musical evolution.

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 01 | ENIGMA VARIATIONS 17

TOMMY MESA

CELLO

One of the most charismatic, innovative, and engaging

performers of his generation.

Cuban-American cellist Tommy

Mesa is renowned for his charisma

and innovation. A recipient of the

Sphinx Organization’s 2023 Medal of

Excellence, its highest honor, Mesa

has performed as a soloist at the

Supreme Court of the United States

and with major orchestras such as

the Los Angeles Philharmonic at

the Hollywood Bowl, The Cleveland

Orchestra, and The Philadelphia

Orchestra. He premiered Jessie

Montgomery’s cello concerto in

the 2022-23 season, touring major

venues like Carnegie Hall and Miami’s

New World Center. His recording of

the concerto debuted on Deutsche

Grammophon in July 2023.

In the 2023-24 season, Mesa

embarks on a performance tour of

Cuba and debuts with the Calgary

and Fort Wayne Philharmonic

Orchestras, and several other

symphonies across the U.S. He

returns to the Indianapolis Symphony

as co-curator and featured performer

for their chamber music series.

Mesa also premieres a new work by

Andrea Casarrubios at Bargemusic

in New York and performs solo

recitals nationwide with pianist Ilya

Yakushev.

Mesa’s new recordings and tours

include albums with pianist Michelle

Cann and bandoneonist JP Jofre.

He was featured on NYC’s classical

station WQXR, showcasing his

album of world-premiere recordings

by Black and Latinx composers.

Future album releases include

collaborations with pianist Olga

Kern and The Crossing Choir.

01 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

BRAVADO

Gala Flagello (1994–)

WRITTEN / 2023

MOVEMENTS / One

STYLE / Contemporary

DURATION / Three Minutes

Gala Flagello’s music blends

lyricism, rhythmic vitality, and a

dedication to collaborative creation.

Described as “both flesh and spirit,

intensely psychological yet musically

accessible,” she collaborates

globally with leading ensembles,

artists, and institutions, crafting

impactful projects for performers

and audiences alike. Flagello cofounded

and directs the nonprofit

contemporary music festival,

Connecticut Summerfest, and

has held prestigious Composition

Fellowships at Tanglewood Music

Center, the Gabriela Lena Frank

Creative Academy of Music, and

Aspen Music Festival.

Driven by a passion for using music as

a catalyst for social change, Flagello

addresses themes like environmental

advocacy, gender equity, and mental

health in her compositions. She is

equally dedicated to education,

fostering creativity in students

through personalized mentorship

PROGRAM NOTES

and integrating diverse influences—

from Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de

Saint-Georges to Kaija Saariaho,

and beyond—alongside visual art

and technology in their musical

explorations. At both high school

and collegiate levels, Gala maintains

a private composition studio and

has lectured on composition,

orchestration, and arts administration

at esteemed institutions including The

Hartt School, University of Michigan,

and Virginia Tech.

Flagello holds a Bachelor of Music

in Composition from The Hartt

School, as well as a Master of

Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in

Composition from the University of

Michigan, where she was honored

with the Dorothy Greenwald

Graduate Fellowship.

Her composition “Bravado,” premiered

at Tanglewood Music Festival

2023, delves into the multifaceted

meanings of its title, derived from

the Old Italian “bravo,” conveying

notions of boldness, recklessness,

and confidence. Through intricate

orchestral transformations, the piece

explores these nuances, prominently

featuring a lively, accented primary

melody and evolving lyrical motifs.

©2024 Gala Flagello and John P. Varineau

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 01 | ENIGMA VARIATIONS

19

01 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

PROGRAM NOTES

SYMPHONY NO. 31 IN D

MAJOR K. 297 “PARIS”

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

(1756-1791)

WRITTEN / 1778

MOVEMENTS / Three

STYLE / Classical

DURATION / Seventeen Minutes

When Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

wrote to his father Leopold that there

is “no place in the world like Paris,”

he wasn’t being complimentary. “The

filth of Paris is indescribable,” he

wrote, and the French manners “now

border on coarseness and they are

terribly discourteous.” Paris was not a

place where “people had ears to hear,

hearts to feel and some measure of

understanding of and taste for music...

I am living among mere brute beasts.”

Mozart was in Paris seeking

employment. Typically, Leopold

would accompany his son on such

ventures, but this time, obligations

as deputy Kapellmeister in Salzburg

kept him away. Nevertheless, he

continued to provide his son with

persistent advice through letters:

“Remember that your whole

reputation hangs on your first piece.

Listen before you write and study

the national taste... your object is to

get fame and money... if you write

anything for publication, make it

popular and easy for amateurs. Do not

write in a hurry! Strike out what does

not satisfy you. Do nothing for nothing,

and see that you get paid for all.”

Despite Mozart’s skepticism towards

Parisian music, the city boasted the

Concert Spirituel, among Europe’s

first public concert series. Directed

by Joseph LeGros, it commissioned

works from leading composers.

In Paris, Mozart received a major

opportunity when LeGros asked him

to compose a new symphony for

the series. However, the rehearsal

for Mozart’s “Paris” symphony was a

notable failure:

“Never in my life have I heard a

worse performance. You can have no

conception of how they bungled and

scrambled through it the first time

and the second... Accordingly I went

to bed, fear in my heart, discontent

and anger in my mind.”

The concert was a different story.

Mozart took his father’s advice and

wrote to please the public:

“In the midst of the first allegro came

a passage I had known would please.

The audience was quite carried

away—there was a great outburst

of applause. But, since I knew when

I wrote it that it would make a

sensation, I had brought it in again

in the last—, and then it came again,

da capo. The andante also found

favor, but particularly the last allegro

because, having noticed that all last

allegri here opened, like the first,

with all instruments together and

usually in unison, I began with two

violins only, piano [softly] for eight

bars only, then forte [loud], so that

at the piano (as I had expected) the

audience said “Sh!” and when they

heard the forte began at once to

clap their hands. I was so happy that

I went straight to the Palais Royale

after the symphony, ate an ice, said

the rosary I had vowed—and went

home.”

LeGros didn’t like the second

movement. He thought it was too

long and modulated too much.

Mozart felt it was because “the

audience forgot to applaud it as

noisily and persistently as they did

the other movements.” Nevertheless,

Mozart indulged LeGros and wrote

an alternate second movement for

a repeat performance. (Tonight

you will hear the original slow

movement.) As for the outer

movements, you will hear why this

symphony so quickly impressed

French audiences, and why

Mozart later used it to wow other

newcomers to his music.

©2024 John P. Varineau

VARIATIONS ON A

ROCOCO THEME, OP. 33

Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky

(1840–1893)

WRITTEN / 1876

MOVEMENTS / Ten

STYLE / Romantic

DURATION / Eighteen Minutes

Tchaikovsky stands as the epitome

for enthusiasts of lush, romantic

orchestral music. His concertos and

last three symphonies (the Fourth,

Fifth, and Sixth) are central to the

romantic orchestral repertoire, known

for their emotional depth and stark

dynamics. Among late nineteenthcentury

composers, Tchaikovsky

distinguished himself with his ability

to craft melodies that resonate

immediately with listeners. Despite

his romantic inclinations, he held a

profound respect, if not admiration,

for eighteenth-century composers

like Haydn and Mozart, whose music

epitomized restraint and elegance

in form. This classical tradition, with

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 01 | ENIGMA VARIATIONS

21

01 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

PROGRAM NOTES

its clarity and simplicity, influenced

Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo

Theme, where he sought to blend

his romantic style with classical

sensibilities. In this work, Tchaikovsky

embarked on a musical exploration,

demonstrating his versatility and

homage to the classical era while

maintaining his distinctive, emotive

voice that continues to captivate

audiences worldwide.

Tchaikovsky wrote this set of

variations for the principal cellist of

the Imperial Russian Music Society,

Wilhelm Karl Friedrich Fitzenhagen.

He asked Fitzenhagen to go through

the music and make suggestions.

Tchaikovsky got way more than

he had asked for. What audiences

hear today in this composition is

considerably different from what

Tchaikovsky had originally intended.

Much of the actual cello writing is

Fitzenhagen’s. He reordered the

variations as well, even deleting

one of them! However, when

Tchaikovsky’s publisher gave him

the opportunity to restore the piece

to its original form, he declined.

Incredibly, with all of the reams of

academic work on Tchaikovsky’s

music done in the last century, there

are still no published orchestral parts

to the original version.

The Variations are accessible and

straightforward. Beginning with a

brief introduction, the cello presents

a simple melody, likely Tchaikovsky’s

homage to Rococo elegance (an

artistic style contemporary with

Mozart and Haydn, known for its

decorative country scenes). Seven

variations follow, each showcasing

the cello and posing significant

challenges to the cellist. Despite

their listener-friendly appeal,

these variations are deceptively

demanding to perform—a

challenging task disguised by their

apparent simplicity.


VARIATIONS ON AN

ORIGINAL THEME (ENIGMA)

Edward Elgar (1857–1934)

WRITTEN / 1898–99

MOVEMENTS / Theme and Fourteen

Variations

STYLE / Romantic

DURATION / Twenty-Nine Minutes

Edward Elgar was the first English

composer to gain international

prominence after Henry Purcell

(1659–1695). After such a long

drought, one would think the

English would be quick to embrace

a composer of stature. Not so! It was

only after Elgar’s fortieth birthday

that he was recognized in England,

and it was his Enigma Variations

that propelled him into international

concert halls.

There are two puzzles in Elgar’s

Enigma Variations. The first is “what

is the theme?” Elgar simply labelled

it “Enigma.” Then he labeled all of

the variations with cryptic initials or

names. Those are easy to solve, but

Elgar’s “Enigma” is still unsolved.

In the program notes for the first

performance Elgar wrote:

“The enigma I will not explain—its

‘dark saying’ must be left unguessed,

and I warn you that the apparent

connection between the Variations

and the Theme is often of the

slightest texture; further, through and

over the whole set another and larger

theme ‘goes,’ but is not played. . . . So

the principal Theme never appears,

even as in some late dramas the chief

character is never on the stage."

So, there are two enigmas: the

actual melody of the theme, and

the larger unplayed theme of the

work. There are many guesses about

what that theme really is, from the

banal God Save the Queen, Pop

Goes the Weasel, and Rule Britannia

to the sublime nonmusical ideas of

Friendship or even 1 Corinthians 13:12.

One fascinating recent conjecture

is that the theme is a musical

representation of the mathematical

concept of π (pi): the numbering

of the first four notes of the theme

within the minor scale is 3, 1, 4, 2—the

same as the first four numerals of π.

The Variations are all character

studies of Elgar’s friends and

acquaintances. “I’ve written the

variations each one to represent the

mood of the party,” Elgar wrote. “I’ve

liked to imagine the ‘party’ writing

the variation him (or her) self and

have written what I think they would

have written, if they were asses

enough to compose.”

C.A.E. is Elgar’s wife, Alice. Hew

David Steuart-Powell (H.D. S-P.),

was an amateur pianist who played

trios with Elgar. Richard Baxter

Townshend (R.B.T.) was an explorer.

He prospected for gold, taught

classics, translated Tacitus, and wrote

many books.

William Meath Baker (W.M.B.),

Lord of Hasfield Court, was the

brother-in-law to R.B.T. His mercurial

temperament is heard in his

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

MASTERWORKS 01 | ENIGMA VARIATIONS 23

01 MASTERWORKS

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PROGRAM NOTES

t

02 MASTERWORKS

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11.01.24

variation, including the inadvertent

slamming of a door. Richard Penrose

Arnold (R.P.A.) was the son of the

poet Matthew Arnold. He continually

broke up serious conversation with

whimsical and witty remarks.

him falling into the river Wye,

paddling upstream to find a landing

place, and barking and rejoicing

at succeeding. Basil G. Nevisnon

(B.G.N), a serious and devoted friend,

was at Oxford with H.D. S-P.

RHAPSODY

IN BLUE

STILL, YASINITSKY, GERSHWIN

MASTERWORKS

SERIES

PRESENTED BY

Ysobel, originally spelled Isabel

*** was Lady Mary Lygon of

Fitton in Old English, was taught

viola by Elgar. Her variation includes

a string-crossing exercise. Arthur

Madresfield House. She had left

for Australia when Elgar wrote her

variation. It represents the throbbing


Willis Delony, piano

Troyte Griffith, an architect and

of a ship’s engine. It also includes

watercolorist, was a trusted friend

a quotation from Mendelssohn’s

William Grant Still

ADDITIONAL

who made clumsy attempts at

Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage.

Symphony No. 2 “Song of a New Race”

SUPPORT

playing the piano. Winifred Norbury

E.D.U. is a self-portrait (Alice called

PROVIDED BY

(W.N.) was serene and akin to a

him Edoo). It presents a composer

INTERMISSION

gentle governess. Elgar suggested

that this variation was a musical

portrayal of her eighteenth-century

confident of his stature. It was also

prophetic. The first performance was

an instant success.

Greg Yasinitsky

Jazz Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

AF Group

home at Sherridge.


George Gershwin

Nimrod is A.J. Jaeger, a friend and

Rhapsody in Blue

music editor at Elgar’s publisher,

Novello. Elgar claimed that the

Celebrate the profound legacy of jazz in American

variation was a “record of a long

music and beyond with the 100th anniversary of George

summer evening talk, when my friend

Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” The concert begins with

discoursed eloquently on the slow

William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 2 “Song of a New

movements of Beethoven.” Dorabella

Race,” highlighting jazz’s African and African-American

was Dora Penny. The dance-like

roots with themes of integration and optimism. Guest

lightness of this variation suggests

pianist Willis Delony performs Greg Yasinitsky’s “Jazz

Dora’s delight in devising dances to

Concerto for Piano and Orchestra,” a piece Delony

Elgar’s piano playing.

commissioned and premiered with Timothy Muffitt.

George Robertson Sinclair (G.R.S)

The evening concludes with the timeless “Rhapsody in

was organist of Hereford Cathedral,

Blue”, blending jazz vibrancy with classical structure,

but this variation is about his

marking a century of its impact on American music.

bulldog, Dan. The music describes


MASTERWORKS 02 | RHAPSODY IN BLUE

25

WILLIS DELONY

PIANO

In a performing career spanning over four decades, pianist

Willis Delony has won acclaim as a leading classical/jazz

crossover artist.

Willis Delony has carved a niche as a

preeminent classical/jazz crossover

artist over his four-decade career.

He has an impressive discography

with the Centaur label, featuring

albums like A New World A’ Comin’

– Classical and Jazz Connections

(2001), Double Dance – Classical

and Jazz Connections II (2008), Out

of Character – Classical and Jazz

Connections III (2014), Butterfly

Room – Connections for Solo Piano

(2018), and Between the Notes

(2021). His latest work is a double

album with violinist Joana Genova,

exploring Stephen Dankner’s Four

Sonatas for Violin and Piano.

Delony has performed as a soloist

and collaborator in the U.S., Canada,

Europe, the former Soviet Union,

and Latin America, engaging in

both classical and jazz concerts.

His contributions extend to jazz

composition and arrangement, with

performances by orchestras in the

U.S. and Canada. Notable premieres

include Stephen Dankner’s Concerto

for Piano and Orchestra with the

LSU Symphony Orchestra (2015)

and Greg Yasinitsky’s Jazz Concerto

for Piano and Orchestra with the

Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra

(2017), which won The American

Prize in composition.

Delony holds the Boyd Professorship

of Piano and Jazz Studies at

Louisiana State University since

2000. His accolades include the

Louisiana Division of the Arts Artist

Fellowship, the Edith Kirkpatrick

Arts Leadership Award, the LSU

Distinguished Faculty Award

(2019), and the SEC Professor

of the Year for LSU (2020).

02 MASTERWORKS

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SYMPHONY NO. 2 IN G

MINOR "SONG OF A

NEW RACE"

William Grant Still (1895–1978)

WRITTEN / 1936-37

MOVEMENTS / Four

STYLE / 20th Century American

DURATION / Thirty Minutes

Historians have credited William

Grant Still with many firsts: He was

the first African-American composer

to have a symphony performed by

a major symphony orchestra; to

conduct a major symphony orchestra;

to have an opera produced by a

major company in the United States;

to have an opera televised over a

national network. He has long been

considered the “Dean of African-

American composers” (to which he

bristled: “Is Aaron Copland the Dean

of White-American composers?”).

He was born in Woodville, Mississippi

and moved to Little Rock, Arkansas

when his father died. William

started taking violin lessons when

he was fifteen, and taught himself

clarinet, oboe, saxophone, viola,

cello and double bass. He went

to Wilberforce University where

he initially studied to become a

PROGRAM NOTES

doctor, but it seems that music was

too much of a pull. He conducted

the college band there, played

various instruments, and made his

first forays into composing and

arranging music. He left Wilberforce

without graduating and went on

to the Oberlin Conservatory of

Music. After college he entered the

freelance world playing, arranging,

and composing for various leading

popular musicians. While playing in

the pit orchestra for Eubie Blake’s

Shuffle Along, he continued to study

composition with George Chadwick

and the ultra-modern composer

Edgard Varese. It was in the 1920s

that Still began to make his mark as

a “serious” composer and started

receiving numerous commissions. In

the 1930s he received a Guggenheim

fellowship, and after he moved to

California, he continued writing

“classical” music while at the same

time writing for the movies. His

arrangement of Frenesi for Artie

Shaw topped the charts. In all, he

wrote over 200 works including

five symphonies, four ballets, nine

operas, choral works, art songs, and

chamber music.

Still started thinking about writing

a symphony in 1924. But it wasn’t

until the Depression began “that

I went jobless long enough to let

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 02 | RHAPSODY IN BLUE

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02 MASTERWORKS

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the Symphony take shape,” he

recounted. “I knew that it had to be

an American work; and I wanted to

demonstrate how the Blues, so often

considered a lowly expression, could

be elevated to the highest music

level.” Six years later he completed

his Symphony No. 1, “Afro-American.”

He claimed that it represented the

“Negro of days not far removed from

the Civil War.” For nearly thirty years,

it was the most performed work by

any American composer. In 1936 he

started work on his Symphony No.

2, “Song of a New Race.” This time

the symphony represented “the

American colored man of today,

in so many instances a totally new

individual produced through the

fusion of White, Indian and Negro

bloods.”

In William Grant Still’s Second

Symphony, he demonstrates mastery

as an orchestrator by meticulously

defining each orchestral section.

His string writing is particularly lush

and evocative. The first movement

features a soaring, rocking melody

initially introduced by the oboes

and elaborated upon by the strings.

Midway through, the strings engage

in contrasting dialogues, followed

by the assertive entry of the brass,

intensifying the musical tension.

Ultimately, it is the brass that

launches the triumphant restatement

of the opening melody, showcasing

Still’s adept orchestration and

thematic development.

The second movement begins with

a wistful melody reminiscent of a

Broadway romance, thoroughly

exploring its theme before abruptly

shifting to a faster strut. Just as

suddenly, the tempo returns to its

initial slower pace, featuring a robust

brass rendition of the main theme.

The music gently returns to its

wistful mood. Without warning, the

third movement bursts in with lively

swagger. The final movement recalls

the lyrical quality of the first two,

now enriched with bluesy melodies.

After a brief acceleration in tempo,

the brass triumphantly takes up the

lyrical theme again, culminating in an

abrupt and surprising ending.


JAZZ CONCERTO FOR

PIANO AND ORCHESTRA

Gregory W. Yasinitsky (1953–)

WRITTEN / 2016

MOVEMENTS / Three

STYLE / 20th Century American

DURATION / Thirty-Three Minutes

Gregory Yasinitsky is a widely

published composer, arranger and

saxophonist active in jazz and

classical music. His catalog includes

commissions for jazz ensembles,

orchestra, wind ensemble, chamber

ensembles, solo pieces and more,

which are performed in 40 countries.

Greg appears often with the world’s

most acclaimed artists, and leads

his own big band, YAZZ Band, and

quintet, Crosscurrent, which feature

his playing, compositions and

arrangements. His music and playing

are featured on 50 recordings

including music released on his

own label, YAZZ Recordings. He is

also Principal Saxophonist with the

Spokane Symphony.

Yasinitsky holds degrees from the

Eastman School of Music (DMA)

and San Francisco State University

(MA, BM). His composition mentors

include Pulitzer Prize winners

Joseph Schwantner and Wayne

Peterson, and acclaimed composers

Lou Harrison, Samuel Adler, and

Robert Morris. He studied jazz

under saxophonist Joe Henderson

and attended masterclasses

with jazz educator David Baker.

Recently retired from Washington

State University after 40 years,

Yasinitsky served as Coordinator of

Jazz Studies, Regents Professor of

Saxophone and Composition, and

Director of the School of Music. He

remains active, traveling extensively

for guest performances, clinics,

and workshops.

Greg’s Jazz Concerto for Piano and

Orchestra won the American Prize

for Orchestral Composition, Pops

Division, in 2017-18. Here is what he

has to say about the piece:

“This work was inspired by a

magnificent concert featuring pianist

Willis Delony, a unique pianist,

able to musically move effortlessly

between the worlds of jazz and

classical music. In the afterglow of

Willis’s concert, I asked if I might

compose something especially for

him. Since my career also involves

extensive work in both genres, the

decision was made to compose a

Jazz Concerto, a piece which would

integrate composed passages

demonstrating Willis’s classical

command of musical nuance

and expression—and his dazzling

technique—with sections featuring

Willis’s formidable improvisational

skills. The Concerto, dedicated to

Willis, was premiered in January of

2017 by the Baton Rouge Symphony

Orchestra, conducted by Timothy

Muffitt. The work is framed in

three movements: fast, slow, fast,


29

02 MASTERWORKS

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PROGRAM NOTES

with the third movement also

divided into three parts as a kind of

microcosm of the complete work.“

The composition opens with the

first movement, “Louisiana Reel,”

incorporating drones and pedal

points that echo Irish and Celtic

influences through a jazz lens. The

second movement, “Nights of Wind

and Water,” reflects on the power of

nature, inspired by the devastating

storms and floods of 2016 in Baton

Rouge, Louisiana. “What He Said!,”

the third movement, starts with a

bold, hard-swinging declaration

infused with blues and bebop

elements. Following a robust “big

band” segment, the music revisits

the slow theme from the second

movement, but with a transformed,

ghostly quality as described by Willis.

The finale is an upbeat, optimistic

jazz waltz leading to the conclusive

ending of the piece.

©2024 Greg Yasinitsky and John P. Varineau

RHAPSODY IN BLUE

George Gershwin (1898–1937)

WRITTEN / 1924

MOVEMENTS / One


DURATION / Sixteen Minutes

In early 1924, Paul Whiteman, known

as the “King of Jazz,” planned a

bold publicity stunt: An Experiment

in Modern Music, a lecture/concert

aiming to define “What is American

Music?” Four non-American judges—

Sergei Rachmaninoff, Jascha

Heifetz, Efrem Zimbalist, and Alma

Gluck—were tasked with deciding.

Whiteman’s goal was to trace

American musical evolution from

its historical roots to contemporary

styles. The program featured works

by Zez Confrey (“Kitten on the

Keys”), Rudolf Friml (“Chansonette”),

Edward MacDowell (“To a Wild

Rose”), and even Edward Elgar’s

“Pomp and Circumstance,” along

with a discussion on the origin of

“Yes, We Have No Bananas!” A

month before the event, a newspaper

article teased these elements,

sparking curiosity about the eclectic

mix to be presented:

“George Gershwin is at work on

a jazz concerto, Irving Berlin is

writing a syncopated tone poem

and Victor Herbert is working on an

American suite.”

Gershwin was caught off guard—

he didn’t know about it! The idea

was discussed with Whiteman,

but Gershwin only learned of the

firm plans through the newspaper.

With such short notice, it seemed

impossible. Eventually, he agreed to

compose something for the concert.

While traveling to Boston for another

show, Gershwin managed to write

most of the music, but Ferde Grofé,

the orchestra’s pianist and arranger,

handled the orchestration:

“It was on the train, with its steely

rhythms, its rattle-ty bang, that is so

often so stimulating to a composer

. . . there I suddenly heard, and

even saw on paper the complete

construction of the Rhapsody, from

beginning to end. No new themes

came to me, but I worked on the

thematic material already in my

mind and tried to conceive the

composition as a whole. I heard it

as a sort of musical kaleidoscope of

America, of our vast melting pot, of

our unduplicated national pep, of our

metropolitan madness. By the time I

reached Boston I had a definite plot

of the piece, as distinguished from its

actual substance.”

From there it probably took him

about three weeks to complete the

newly named Rhapsody in Blue—the

title was suggested by his brother

Ira after viewing several paintings

by James Whistler with titles like

Arrangement in Gray and Black or

Nocturne in Black and Gold.

The actual concert, while packed

with an eager audience, didn’t quite

live up to the hype until that iconic

clarinet glissando announced the

Rhapsody in Blue. Even then, the

piece wasn’t finished. Gershwin

improvised a good deal of the

solo piano stuff with only “wait

until nod” in the score to indicate

to Whiteman when to bring in

the orchestra. At the conclusion

there was “tumultuous applause”

and the audience was “wild and

even frantic.” Of course, the press

wasn’t convinced. One reviewer

asked his readers to “weep over

the lifelessness of [the Rhapsody’s]

melody and harmony, so derivative,

so stale, so inexpressive.” Another

claimed it “had all the faults one

might expect from an experimental

work,” and a third claimed that it

started “with a promising theme well

stated, it soon runs off into empty

passage-work and meaningless

repetition.” But audiences knew

better. Within three years, the

Whiteman band had performed

the Rhapsody over 87 times and a

recording sold more than a million

copies. At least one critic conceded

“Mr. Gershwin will bear watching.”

Indeed.



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RESPIGHI,

STRAUSS, & HAYDN

MILLER, RESPIGHI, STRAUSS, HAYDN

01.10.25

MASTERWORKS

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PRESENTED BY


Corbin Wagner, horn

Jared Miller

World Premiere

Ottorino Respighi

Trittico Botticelliano

ADDITIONAL

SUPPORT

PROVIDED BY

Don & Jan Hines

INTERMISSION

Richard Strauss

Horn Concerto No. 2

Joseph Haydn

Symphony No. 43 “Mercury”

Experience an uplifting journey through musical and

human ascension with horn virtuoso Corbin Wagner. The

concert begins with a world premiere by LSO’s Composerin-Residence,

Jared Miller. Ottorino Respighi’s Trittico

Botticelliano celebrates Renaissance splendor. Wagner then

performs Richard Strauss’ Horn Concerto No. 2, showcasing

the horn’s lyrical and heroic range. The program concludes

with Haydn’s Symphony No. 43 “Mercury”, whose

classical elegance and wit embody the spirit of ascension,

linking each piece with a sense of elevated inspiration.

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 03 | RESPIGHI, STRAUSS, & HAYDN

33

CORBIN WAGNER

HORN

Corbin Wagner is a highly regarded horn performer, teacher,

and longtime member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He

is currently the Associate Professor of Horn at Michigan State

University.

Corbin Wagner, a respected horn

performer and educator, has

been a vital presence in the music

community. After earning a bachelor’s

degree in 1979 and a master’s in

1989 from the University of Michigan,

where he studied under Professor

Louis Stout, Wagner joined the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra, retiring

in 2013. He has been an associate

professor of horn at Michigan State

University since 2012 and has taught

at Oakland University, the University

of Michigan, and Wayne State

University.

Wagner won third prize at the

1983 Munich International Horn

Competition and multiple first

prizes at the International Horn

Competition of America.

As a soloist, he has performed works

such as Schumann’s Konzertstuck

and Mozart’s Concerto #4. Wagner

has released CDs including The

Wagner Trio (2014) and Emociones

del Alma (2018), featuring

commissioned works in Spanish.

He performs as principal horn with

the Traverse Symphony Orchestra

and the Lansing Symphony

Orchestra and participates in

the Peninsula Music Festival.

Wagner also plays regularly

with the Palm Beach Opera and

the Grand Rapids Symphony

Orchestra. He and his wife, Wendy,

have five grown children.

03 MASTERWORKS

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TRITTICO BOTTICELLIANO

Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936)

WRITTEN / 1927

MOVEMENTS / Three


DURATION / Twenty-One Minutes

In spite of all the crazy things that

were happening in the musical world

in the early part of the twentieth

century, there were composers

who were doing very nicely writing

beautiful and “unobjectionable”

music. Ottorino Respighi was one

of ten composers who signed a

manifesto championing the concept

that music is communication.

“We are against art which cannot

and does not have any human

content and desires to be merely

a mechanical demonstration and

a cerebral puzzle,” they wrote.

“A logical chain binds the past

and the future—the romanticism

of yesterday will again be the

romanticism of tomorrow.”

Respighi made his first big splash

in 1916 with his orchestral tonepoem,

The Fountains of Rome. More

orchestral showpieces followed over

the next twelve years: The Pines of

Rome, Church Windows, and Roman

Festivals. In each of these, Respighi

PROGRAM NOTES

demonstrates his absolute mastery

of orchestral tone color, a skill he

learned from his most influential

teacher, Nicholas Rimsky-Korsakov.

Respighi had an enduring interest

in the music of the past. Baroque

and Renaissance music fascinated

him. He arranged a number of lute

and keyboard pieces from these

periods for orchestra. Keeping the

melodies and harmonies intact, he

dressed them up in modern orchestral

clothing. His Ancient Airs and Dances

is his first attempt at this sort of

thing. Eventually he wrote three sets

of Ancient Airs and a couple of other

sets including Gli uccelli The Birds).

In 1927, Respighi and his wife Elsa

toured the United States, sponsored

by the wealthy pianist and arts

patron Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge.

At the final concert, given in the

chamber music hall at the Library

of Congress, Respighi announced,

“I shall compose a work for small

orchestra, inspired by three

Botticelli paintings. I’ll call it Trittico

botticelliano and dedicate it to Mrs.

Coolidge.” Respighi chose three

paintings by Sandro Botticelli (c.

1444–1510) to represent: “Spring,”

“The Adoration of the Magi,” and

“The Birth of Venus.” Unlike The Birds

and Ancient Airs and Dances, the


35

03 MASTERWORKS

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PROGRAM NOTES

melodic material is original (except

for “O come, O come Emmanuel” in

“The Adoration of the Magi”). Still,

there are sections that sound like

renaissance dances. Throughout,

Respighi demonstrates his masterful

handling of orchestral colors, much

like the paintings he was evoking.


HORN CONCERTO NO. 2 IN

E-FLAT MAJOR

Richard Strauss (1864–1949)

WRITTEN / 1942

MOVEMENTS / Three

STYLE / Romantic

DURATION / Twenty Minutes

Richard Wagner once remarked,

“Strauss is a detestable fellow, but

when he plays the horn you can’t be

angry with him.” Wagner was not

referring to the composer Richard

Strauss, but to his father, Franz

Joseph, a professional horn player

in the Munich court orchestra. Franz

Joseph, who played in premieres

of Wagner’s operas like Tristan

und Isolde, Das Rheingold, and Die

Walküre, disliked Wagner’s music and

tried to shield his son from it. Despite

this, Richard Strauss defied his father’s

wishes and studied Wagner’s scores

secretly. He even composed what

may have been his first horn concerto

for his father, although Franz Joseph

never performed it, complaining

it had “too many high notes.” This

rebellion against his father’s musical

tastes marked the beginning of

Richard Strauss’s independent path

as a composer, despite his father’s

disapproval.

At 21, Richard Strauss joined Hans

von Bülow as an assistant conductor.

Influenced by Alexander Ritter, a

violinist in Bülow’s orchestra and

Wagner’s nephew by marriage,

Strauss adopted the Wagnerian

style. This approach, centered on the

poetic idea as the formative element,

guided Strauss in his symphonic

work. His resulting series of “tone

poems” were symphonic works that

aimed to vividly depict narratives

or poetic concepts through music,

known for their brilliance and

technical difficulty in performance.

As Strauss’s interest in tone-poems

began to wane, he turned to writing

operas. Between 1915 (the date of

his last tone-poem) and 1942, he

dedicated himself almost exclusively

to opera. But with Capriccio in 1942

he was done with opera too. “My life’s

work is at an end,” he said. “The music

that I go on scribbling... I only do it

to dispel the boredom of idle hours.”

It must have been fast “scribbling,”

because he finished the draft of his

Horn Concerto No. 2 just two weeks

after the premiere of Capriccio, and

the final score within a month.

Once again, Strauss’s father looms

large because Strauss dedicated

the work to him. Strauss hearkens

back to the simpler forms found

in his First Horn Concerto. Gone

are the hyper-romantic excesses

of the tone-poems and operas, but

the virtuosic demands remain.

Heroic horn calls; long, aching, and

lyrical melodies; and contrasting

dance-like sections characterize

the first movement. The second

movement sneaks in without a

break. At first the orchestra gets

the predominant role. Eventually

the horn emerges from the shadows

for a turn at the wistful melody. The

third movement flows directly from

the second as the horn performs an

angular, playful melody. The orchestra

takes up the tune and things become

almost frenetic. When the orchestral

horns join the soloist in the theme,

you’ll know the piece is winding up to

a magnificent finale.


SYMPHONY NO. 43 IN

E-FLAT MAJOR “MERCURY”

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)

WRITTEN / circa 1771

MOVEMENTS / Four

STYLE / Classical

DURATION / Twenty-Two Minutes

Haydn worked for nearly thirty years

for the famed Esterházy family, the

richest in all Hungary. Its head, Prince

Nikolaus, was an ardent music fan

and an amateur musician himself. He

built a spectacular “summer home,”

Esterháza, which rivaled Versailles

and Schönbrunn in its grandeur.

Music was continually present at

Esterháza (there were 1038 opera

performances between 1780 and

1790), and it was Haydn’s job to

provide it. Haydn’s contract with the

Prince detailed his responsibilities:

“Joseph Haydn will daily, whether in

Vienna or elsewhere in his territories,

appear both morning and afternoon

at the princely antechamber to

inquire whether his Highness

wishes a concert be given. If he be

so commanded, he will notify the

other musicians and be attentive

to be sure that not only he but the

other musicians as well appear at

the stipulated time . . . [he] should


37

03 MASTERWORKS

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PROGRAM NOTES

04 MASTERWORKS

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04.04.25

take charge of all musical activities

and all musical instruments with

assiduousness . . . [he] will be bound

to compose such music as his

Serene Highness shall command,

and not let such compositions be

communicated to any other party,

much less be copied, but they shall

I was cut off from the world. No one

could cause me to doubt myself

and torment me, and so I had to be

original.”

Haydn didn’t invent the symphony;

many composers in the late

eighteenth century wrote symphonies

SKETCHES

OF SPAIN

RAVEL, LALO, MIGÓ, DE FALLA, RAVEL

MASTERWORKS

SERIES

PRESENTED BY

remain for his use only and his

rightful ownership, and he shall not,

without knowledge and permission,

or “sinfonias” (or overtures as they

were sometimes called). However,

his more than 100 symphonies are an


Chee-Yun, violin

compose for any other person.”

encyclopedia of the evolution of the

form. His Symphony in E-flat—given

Maurice Ravel

Initially the artistic atmosphere was

the enigmatic subtitle “Mercury”

Alborada del Gracioso

exhilarating – “where I should like

to live and die.” However, toward

the end of his tenure at Esterháza,

in the nineteenth century—doesn’t

really break any new ground. The

first, second and last movements

Édouard Lalo

Symphonie Espagnole

Haydn began to chafe at the relative

isolation of the place – “I am forced

are in a “textbook” sonata form

with contrasting elements in the

INTERMISSION

to remain here . . . it really is sad

always to be a slave.”

exposition and recapitulation which

frame a central working out section.

The third movement is a standard

Marc Migó

The Ecstasy of St. Teresa

He wrote literally thousands of works

for Prince Esterházy. How is it that

the prince never got bored with

minuet and trio—played at a properly

stately tempo as compared with

Beethoven’s scherzos. What listeners

Manuel de Falla

El Sombrero de Tres Picos, Suite No. 2

Haydn’s style and hired someone

else? Haydn explained the trick to his

biographer Georg August Griesinger:

will find unusual in this symphony

is Haydn’s emphasis on long, lyrical

melodies. And there are some quirky

Maurice Ravel

Boléro

surprises near the end of the first and

“The Prince was satisfied with all

last movements—the sort of thing

Experience an evening of passion with violinist Chee-

my works, I received applause, as

that kept Prince Esterházy listening.

Yun, featuring Spanish and Spanish-influenced music.

head of the orchestra I was able


The night opens with Ravel’s Alborada del Gracioso,

to experiment, to observe what

followed by Chee-Yun’s performance of Lalo’s Symphonie

made a strong impression and what

Espagnole. Marc Migó’s The Ecstasy of St. Teresa adds a

weakened this, in other words, to

mystical touch, while de Falla’s El Sombrero de Tres Picos

correct, supplement, cut, take risks.

and Ravel’s Boléro showcase Spain’s rich, hypnotic charm.


MASTERWORKS 04 | SKETCHES OF SPAIN

39

CHEE-YUN

VIOLIN

Violinist Chee-Yun combines flawless technique, dazzling tone,

and passionate artistry, captivating audiences worldwide.

With her charm and charisma

Chun-Yee has carved a distinctive

niche in the world of classical music.

A winner of the Young Concert

Artists International Auditions and

recipient of the Avery Fisher Career

Grant, Chee-Yun has collaborated

with top orchestras including the

San Francisco, Toronto, Pittsburgh,

Dallas, Atlanta, and National

symphony orchestras, as well as

the Saint Paul and Los Angeles

Chamber Orchestras.

Chee-Yun has also made notable

recital appearances in major U.S.

cities and performed at the United

Nations in 2016 and the White House

in 1993. Her recent engagements

include performances with the

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and

guitarist Mak Grgic. Her latest album,

“Serenata Notturno”, achieved

platinum status soon after its release.

Dedicated to education, Chee-

Yun has held faculty positions

at the University of Cincinnati,

Indiana University, and Southern

Methodist University, where she

served as Artist-in-Residence.

Chee-Yun plays a 1669 Francesco

Ruggieri violin, renowned for its

storied history and rich tone.

For more details and updates,

visit www.chee-yun.net.

04 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

ALBORADA DEL GRACIOSO

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)

WRITTEN / 1906

STYLE / Impressionist

DURATION / Eight Minutes

Maurice Ravel was something of

a perennial loser when it came

to winning any sort of prize at

the Paris Conservatory. At that

prestigious institution, you didn’t

merely attend class and get some

sort of final grade at the end of the

year. Students actually competed

against one another in all subjects.

If you did well, you received a prize.

If you didn’t, you weren’t allowed to

continue. That happened to Ravel

numerous times during his fifteen

years at the Conservatory. It wasn’t

because he couldn’t do the work; it

was because he wouldn’t do it in the

officially sanctioned way. In other

words, he “marched to the beat of a

different drummer.”

The Prix de Rome was the most

sought-after prize. Winning meant

an all-expenses-paid year in

Rome. In order to win, you had to

impress a very conservative panel

of judges—and Ravel was anything

but conservative. He entered the

competition five times and never

PROGRAM NOTES

won. The last time—in 1905—his loss

created a scandal. He didn’t even

make it past the preliminary round.

“Monsieur Ravel may look upon

us as old fogeys if he pleases,” the

committee said, “but he will not with

impunity make fools out of us.”

Disappointment with the loss didn’t

keep Ravel from composing. He

became even more prolific. The

year after the Prix de Rome loss,

he wrote a collection of short

piano pieces called Miroirs. Ravel

described them as a “collection of

piano pieces that mark a change in

my harmonic development that is so

profound that they have put many

musicians out of countenance who

up to that point have been the most

familiar with my style.” Each piece

is a musical “impression” and Ravel

dedicated each one to a member

of a group called the “Apaches”

(hooligans). They were a group of

friends who met weekly to discuss

all of the new trends in art.

Alborada del gracioso is the fourth of

Ravel’s five Miroirs, later transcribed

for orchestra. Its title translates to

“Morning Song of a Jester.” Picture a

buffoon serenading his lover beneath

her window at dawn, infused with

Ravel’s beloved Spanish style.


LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 04 | SKETCHES OF SPAIN

41

04 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

PROGRAM NOTES

SYMPHONIE ESPAGNOLE,

OP. 21

Édouard Lalo (1823–1892)

WRITTEN / 1874

MOVEMENTS / Five

STYLE / Romantic

DURATION / Thirty-Three Minutes

For the great composers—Haydn,

Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini,

Brahms—fame seems to have

come early, if not easily. Yet music

encyclopedias are full of entries

of now forgotten composers

and thousands upon thousands

of forgotten works. Then there

are those not so famous, but not

forgotten – composers who made

a name for themselves by dint of

really hard work; those who patiently

chipped away at their art, knocked

on doors, pleaded with conductors,

staged their own shows.

Édouard Lalo’s love of music came

from childhood violin and cello

lessons. However, his dad, a military

man, was dead set against a musical

career for him. So, at the age of

sixteen, Édouard left home for Paris.

There he studied violin and did what

many musicians do in a big city:

freelanced and taught. He tried his

hand at composing some chamber

music and helped form a string

quartet. Neither were big moneymakers.

When he was in his forties,

he wrote an opera for a competition.

It didn’t win, and nobody offered to

stage it. All of that work!

Finally, when he was 51, the great

Spanish violinist agreed to play his

Violin Concerto, and a year later

his Symphonie Espagnole. The

success of these works encouraged

Lalo to try another opera, Le Roi

d’Ys. Again, nobody would stage

it. Lalo continued to chisel away at

his career, writing more symphonic

works. Finally, when he was sixtyfive,

the Opéra-Comique in Paris

staged Le Roi d’Ys. Ironically, it was

a smashing success. Lalo enjoyed

four years of real success before he

died. Le Roi d’Ys is what keeps his

name alive in France. Outside France,

his fame rests on the Symphonie

Espagnole.

Lalo called it a symphony, but it is

a concerto for violin and orchestra.

While composing it he seems to have

taken his own advice. Complaining

to the great violinist Pablo Sarasate

about a concerto by Brahms, he

wrote:

“I maintain that when a soloist is set

on the stage he must be given the

main role and not be treated as a

soloist within the orchestra. If the

solo genre displeases the composer,

then let him write symphonies or

something else for the orchestra

alone, but don’t let him bore me

with fragments of solo constantly

interrupted by the orchestra.”

Indeed, in every movement of the

Symphonie espagnole the soloist is

in the forefront with either brilliant

virtuoso displays or tender melodies.

The Symphonie espagnole has lots

of Spanish flavor to it. A particular

sort of rhythm featured in all sorts

of Latin music is predominant

throughout the piece. It is a constant

shifting between three notes in a

beat and two. Tonight, you will hear

that rhythm in the swaggering main

tune of the first movement and

the boisterous melody of the last

movement. The fourth movement

alone is missing it, but its character is

less folk-like anyway. It has a darker,

Moorish quality.

At times, the melodies might seem

familiar to you. This is probably a

result of other Spanish music written

by French composers, like Bizet’s

Carmen. Take note: Lalo wrote

Symphonie Espagnole first.


THE ECSTASY OF

SAINT TERESA

Marc Migó (1993–)

WRITTEN / 2024

MOVEMENTS / One


DURATION / Nine Minutes

“I am interested in expressing beauty

while taking advantage of the vast

richness and interconnectivity of

today’s world,” Marc Migó writes:

"To me it is fundamental to

establish a connection with the

listener through music and to do

so I want my works to move, to

bring forward an opportunity for

collective reflection and healing. I am

particularly interested in integrating

the traditional with the new, in

absorbing the fabulous kaleidoscope

of styles and aesthetic trends from

our times to produce relevant and

original art, without any restraints.

I consider myself a composer of

ideas. What comes first is the

idea, and that idea will provide the

technique to develop itself during

the creative process. Lastly, I deeply

treasure my Mediterranean heritage

whose luminosity and warmth

often come through in my works."


43

04 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

PROGRAM NOTES

Marc Migó’s fascination with music

and composition blossomed during

his teens after his grandfather gifted

him a big classical CD collection,

with Mozart’s Requiem remaining a

personal favorite. Born in Barcelona,

he studied piano privately with Liliana

Sainz and music theory with Xavier

Boliart, leading to his acceptance in

the Escola Superior de Música de

Catalunya where he continued his

studies with Salvador Brotons.

In 2017, Marc was accepted into

The Juilliard School as a CV Starr

Fellow for his Master’s in music.

At Juilliard, he won the Orchestral

Composition Prize in 2018 and again

in 2021. In 2020, he joined Juilliard’s

inaugural Opera Lab program and

was commissioned by UrbanArias

in Washington, DC, to compose an

original opera with librettist John de

los Santos for the Decameron Opera

Coalition. The opera, The Roost,

premiered later that year and was

included in The Library of Congress’

Performing Arts COVID-19 Response

Collection. After earning his Master’s

degree, Marc studied with John

Corigliano and received his doctorate

in 2024.

He has received the Pablo Casals

Award (2019), the George Enescu

Prize (2020), Organ Taurida

Competition’s First Prize (2021),

the inaugural Dominic Argento

Fellowship for Opera Composition

(2021), and the Leo Kaplan Award

(2023.)

Marc Migó wrote The Ecstasy of

St. Teresa for the 2024 Easter

Festival in Cervera, Catalonia,

Spain. Migó writes:

“The religious background of the

festival inspired me to write a piece

about The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa.

The homonymous sculpture by

[Gian Lorenzo] Bernini (1698–1680)

evokes an ambiguous ecstatic state

where the famous Spanish Saint’s

expression of spiritual enlightenment

could be mistaken for one of a more

“sinful” nature, rooted in carnal

desires. I was irresistibly seduced

by this idea and therefore decided

to translate Bernini’s masterpiece

into the musical realm. This idea

made the process even more alluring

since the time dimension that music

possesses, and which sculpture

lacks, allowed for a stimulating

search of ecstatic processes. This

was accomplished through mantras,

repetitions, buildups, and dynamic

swells, in combination with sacred

music idioms such as chorales,

canons, and plainsong.”

©2024 Marc Migó and John P. Varineau

SUITE NO. 2 FROM

“EL SOMBRERO DE

TRES PICOS”

Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)

WRITTEN / 1918–1919

MOVEMENTS: One

STYLE / Spanish Impressionism

DURATION / Twelve Minutes

As a young man, Spanish composer

Manuel de Falla wrote zarzuelas, a

form of Spanish operetta. In 1907,

he traveled to Paris to broaden

his musical knowledge and study

European techniques. There, he

mingled with French impressionists

Debussy and Ravel, who were

exploring the exoticism of Spanish

music. Falla’s time in Paris allowed

him to merge the melodies and

rhythms of his native Spain with the

rich colors and harmonies of French

impressionism, creating a unique

fusion of styles.

Back in Spain, Falla wrote The Three-

Cornered Hat as incidental music

for a pantomime. He based it on the

1874 novel written by Pedro Antonio

de Alarcón. The great Russian

impresario Serge Diaghilev saw the

production and convinced Falla to

rewrite it as a ballet—and enlisted

Picasso for the sets and Léonide

Massine for the choreography.

The humorous story is about a miller

and his lovely young wife. At the

beginning of the ballet, they are

joyfully tending their grapes. The

Corregidor (governor), wearing the

sign of his office, a three-cornered

hat, approaches. He flirts with the

miller’s wife, but his own wife’s glare

sets him on his way. Later he returns

to flirt some more. This time, the

miller hides while his wife dances a

seductive fandango. Lunging forward

for a kiss, the Corregidor falls into

a bush. The miller appears, feigning

alarm at the governor’s intrusion, and

then the happy couple sends the old

man on his way.

That evening, as the miller and his

neighbors celebrate St. John’s night,

the Corregidor’s bodyguards arrest

him. The miller’s wife retreats to her

bedroom, where she hears a distant

song warning that married couples

should lock their doors because the

devil is not sleeping! The Corregidor

heads to the miller’s house but falls

into water in the darkness. His cries

attract the miller’s wife, who, despite

initial defiance, finds herself in a

confrontation. Both draw pistols,

but she drops hers and flees. The

Corregidor then enters the miller’s

house, changes out of his wet


45

04 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

PROGRAM NOTES

clothes, and climbs into the miller’s

bed, seeking refuge.

Meanwhile, the miller has escaped.

He comes home, finds the

Corregidor’s clothes, and in a fit of

rage exchanges them with his own

clothes. He leaves a note: “I’m off to

avenge myself. Your wife, too, is very

handsome.” The Corregidor finds the

note, puts on the miller’s clothes, and

is promptly apprehended by his own

bodyguards. The miller’s wife returns.

She sees who she thinks is her

husband, and attacks the bodyguard.

The miller enters and sees his wife

defending the Corregidor! Not to

worry – this is ballet after all. All ends

well as the couple is reunited and the

Corregidor is tossed in a blanket.

BOLÉRO

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)

WRITTEN / 1928

MOVEMENTS / One

STYLE / Impressionist

DURATION / Thirteen Minutes

“He’s mad!” a woman in the audience

cried out. This was at the premiere of

Maurice Ravel’s Boléro. Ravel heard

the exclamation, smiled, and then

commented that she understood the

piece. As he himself said, “C’est une

blague” (“It’s nonsense”). Two years

later Ravel explained his Boléro for

London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper:

of these peculiarities that no single

composer likes the Boléro—and from

their point of view, they are quite

right. I have carried out exactly what I

intended, and it is for listeners to take it

or leave it.”

Boléro started out as ballet music. The

dancer and patron Ida Rubinstein asked

Ravel to orchestrate some piano pieces

by the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz.

The project was well under way when

Ravel discovered that Enrique Arbós

had already orchestrated them and

held the copyright. So, he decided

to orchestrate one of his own pieces.

It took him about five months. The

action of the ballet centers on a Gypsy

woman (Ida Rubinstein) dancing the

and louder. Over this there is a simple

harmony, using only two chords. The

long melody has four parts. The first

and second are simple and use notes

only from the C major scale (similar to

the white keys on the piano). It gets

repeated. The third and fourth parts are

more complex, have a wider range, and

use colorfully inflected notes outside

the scale, providing a more exotic

quality. The whole melody gets played

a total of four times, with a shortened

fifth start. The volume gets louder as

the orchestral tone color becomes

increasingly complex. After a while,

the incessant rhythm, the repetitive

harmony, and the intoxicating melody

become almost hypnotic. Right at the

climax of the crescendo the harmony

The music extracted from the

ballet for the suites from The

Three-Cornered Hat is as fun as

the story. The Second Suite starts

with the music that accompanies

the neighbors as they gather to

celebrate the Feast of St. John. Next

is the miller’s first dance in the ballet,

a fiery farruca. The suite ends with

the frenzied and joyful jota that

concludes the ballet.

“I am particularly desirous that there

should be no misunderstanding about

this work. It constitutes an experiment

in a very special and limited direction

and should not be suspected of aiming

at achieving anything different from,

or anything more than, it actually does

achieve. Before its first performance,

I issued a warning to the effect that

what I had written was a piece lasting

seventeen minutes and consisting

wholly of “orchestral tissue without

Boléro, alone on a tabletop, surrounded

by men. As her movements become

livelier, the men become more excited

and begin pounding out a repetitious

rhythm on the table. As the volume

of the music reaches its peak, and the

harmony finally changes, the tension

snaps. The knives come out, and there

is a violent barroom brawl.

The ballet is rarely performed anymore,

but the music remains one of the most

suddenly shifts to E major. After one of

the greatest catharses in all of music,

the piece ends quickly.



music”—of one long, very gradual

popular of the orchestral repertoire. In

crescendo. There are no contrasts,

spite of its simple and repetitious form,

and there is practically no invention

it is a tour-de-force. The snare drum

except the plan and the manner of

plays the same rhythm for the entire

the execution... It is perhaps because

work while gradually getting louder


MASTERWORKS 04 | SKETCHES OF SPAIN 47

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05 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

BEETHOVEN’S

EMPEROR

CONCERTO

MILLER, BEETHOVEN, DVORÁK


Benjamin Grosvenor, piano

05.09.25

MASTERWORKS

SERIES

PRESENTED BY

Where Every Day

Is a Masterpiece

Jared Miller

Under Sea, Above Sky

Ludwig Van Beethoven

Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor”

ADDITIONAL

SUPPORT

PROVIDED BY

Traction Brands

INTERMISSION

AntonÍn Dvorák ˇ

Symphony No. 8

Experience the harmony of

our Life Plan Community.

(517) 731-0403

2700 Burcham Drive

East Lansing, MI 48823

BurchamHills.com

Join pianist Benjamin Grosvenor for an evening

tracing Beethoven’s musical evolution. The concert

begins with Jared Miller’s Under Sea, Above

Sky, setting a transformative tone. Grosvenor’s

performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.

5 “Emperor” highlights the shift from 18th-century

elegance to Romantic expressiveness. The evening

culminates with Dvorák’s ˇ “Symphony No. 8,” a

vibrant celebration of Romantic drama and passion,

reflecting the emotional journey of the program.

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MASTERWORKS 05 | BEETHOVEN’S EMPEROR CONCERTO

49

BENJAMIN

GROSVENOR

PIANO

British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor is celebrated as one of the

most significant pianists of recent times, with Gramophone

naming him among the top 50 pianists ever recorded.

Benjamin Grosvenor’s 23/24 season

features his concerto debuts with the

DSO Berlin and Iceland Symphony

Orchestra, highlighting Busoni’s

Piano Concerto. He also collaborates

with the Gurzenich Orchestra,

Scottish Chamber Orchestra,

CBSO, Hallé Orchestra, Washington

National, and Indianapolis and

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras.

His 2023 summer included

performances with the EUYO and a

debut at Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg.

Grosvenor’s recital circuit

expands with debuts at Luzerns

KlavierFestival and premiere

performances in Chicago and

Wigmore Hall. He continues to

perform globally, with venues in

Yokohama, Cologne, Paris, Hong

Kong, and Milan among others. As

a chamber musician, he tours Japan

with violinist Sayaka Shoji and the

Modigliani Quartet, including a debut

at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall.

In 2011, he made history by signing

with Decca Classics as the youngest

British musician and the first British

pianist in nearly 60 years to do

so. His recent album, ‘Schumann

and Brahms’ featuring Kreisleriana,

received acclaim as a “masterpiece”

and was selected as Gramophone

Editor’s Choice and Diapason d’Or.

05 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

UNDER SEA, ABOVE SKY

Jared Miller (1988–)

WRITTEN / 2019

MOVEMENTS / One


DURATION / Ten Minutes

The Lansing Symphony Orchestra’s

Composer-in-Residence Jared Miller

was born in Los Angeles and holds

Masters and Doctor of Musical Arts

degrees from the Juilliard School

where he studied with Samuel Adler

and John Corigliano. He has also

studied composition with Stephen

Chatman and Dorothy Chang and

piano with Sara Davis Buechner

and Corey Hamm at the University

of British Columbia. In 2014 at age

25, Miller was named the Victoria

Symphony’s composer-in-residence

– a position that he held until June

of 2017. He is currently Assistant

Professor of Composition at the

University of North Carolina School

of the Arts.

As a passionate advocate for musical

education and outreach, Miller has

taught and performed in several

initiatives including The Juilliard

School’s Music Advancement

Program, the Vancouver Symphony

Orchestra Connects Program, the

PROGRAM NOTES

BC Health Arts Society, Vancouver’s

Opera in the Schools and for New

York’s Opportunity Music Project.

Miller has won numerous awards

for composition that include a

2012 ASCAP Morton Gould Award,

the 2011/12 Juilliard Orchestra

Competition, three SOCAN

awards for young composers and

SOCAN’s Jan V. Matejcek Award

for Excellence in New Classical

Composition in 2020. His orchestral

work “Under Sea, Above Sky", which

was recorded by the National Youth

Orchestra of Canada, was nominated

for a JUNO Award in 2020 for

Classical Composition of the Year.

This is what he has to say about

Under Sea, Above Sky:

“When I started writing this piece

for the National Youth Orchestra of

Canada, I was particularly inspired

by the size of [the] orchestra—

perhaps the largest group of

instrumentalists that I’ve ever had

the opportunity to write for. I was

therefore very interested in exploring

the massiveness of this ensemble

when writing Under Sea, Above Sky.

The piece was ultimately written

as an ode to planet Earth. On one

hand, Earth is massive, majestic and

wild. On the other, it is incredibly

fragile as climate change continues


51

05 MASTERWORKS

SERIES

PROGRAM NOTES

to wreak havoc upon it. Under Sea,

Above Sky aims to capture this

duality by contrasting passages

of thundering resonance and

textures of frail, ethereal tranquility.

Ultimately, this piece serves not

as an elegy for planet Earth but

rather, as a reminder of both its

beauty and its vulnerability.”

©2024 Jared Miller and John P. Varineau

PIANO CONCERTO NO. 5

“EMPEROR” IN E-FLAT

MAJOR, OP. 73

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)

WRITTEN / 1809

MOVEMENTS / Three

STYLE / Romantic

DURATION / Forty Minutes

What “key” music is in makes little

difference to many concert goers.

Our ears, inundated with music from

elevators, smart-phones, and concert

halls are probably less discriminating

than those of Beethoven’s day. For

audiences back then, different keys

simply sounded different. Today’s

orchestral instruments have a

remarkable consistency in tuning

across the various keys. Back then,

not so much. In addition, what we

call “equal temperament”—where

all keys are equally in tune—

wasn’t quite equal centuries ago.

This led to the idea that various

keys evoked different—and very

subjective—emotions. For the

French in the 17th century, E-flat

major was “cruel and hard.” In the

18th century, Christian Schubart (a

contemporary of Mozart) felt that

it was the “key of love, of devotion,

of intimate conversation with

God.” By Beethoven’s time, E-flat

major was often used for music

of noble character. Beethoven’s

Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major—

originally dedicated to Napoleon

and subtitled Eroica (“heroic”)—is

a good example. The reasons for

the common English nickname for

tonight’s concerto, “Emperor,” are

vague, but it too has a nobility of

character. (Beethoven dedicated

it to “His Imperial Highness, the

Archduke of Austria.” Maybe that is

why it is called the “Emperor”—but

Beethoven never called it that.)

Five years after writing the

Eroica Symphony, Beethoven’s

circumstances in Vienna were

substantially changed. Vienna was

under siege by Napoleon’s armies.

Beethoven had to take refuge in his

brother’s cellar. “Heaven only knows

how things will go on. I will probably

have to change residences... What

a disturbing wild life all around me,

nothing but drums, cannons, men,

misery of all sorts,” he wrote. When

the concerto premiered in 1810,

Viennese audiences expected music

with a certain martial character, and

they got it!

The fact that compositions rarely

stay in one key is often overlooked

by today’s audiences. However,

exploring and contrasting different

keys keeps musical interest alive in

longer works. In the first movement

of this concerto, the orchestra

remains entirely in E-flat during its

theme presentations. Relief from

this tonal monotony comes only

when the piano enters, introducing

explorations into the rare keys of B

minor and C-flat major. Additionally,

Beethoven’s unusual choice for

this movement is that he explicitly

wrote out the cadenza, breaking the

tradition of allowing performers to

improvise their own.

The second movement contains

two themes. The first is a beautiful

and devout melody heard at the

beginning and played by the strings.

The second is a quiet, meditative one

played by the piano. Both themes go

through a series of “quasi-variations.”

The movement leads directly into the

third movement. This is not a typical

light and bouncy rondo, nor a mere

succession of lively tunes. Instead, it

has been called the “most spacious

and triumphant of concerto rondos.”

In “After the Golden Age”, a

fascinating study of concert

etiquette and traditions, Kenneth

Hamilton claims that audiences in

the nineteenth century were not

like the quiet and respectful ones of

today. Applause during a concerto

“could well have drowned out a fair

amount of the orchestral [sections],”

he writes. The great conductor and

pianist Hans von Bülow boasted that

when he performed the Emperor

Concerto he “always had applause

after the cadenza.” Hamilton is

careful to point out that von Bülow

was not referring to the final

cadenza of the first movement, but

the one that you hear in the opening

minutes of the piece! He goes on

to say that Beethoven would have

approved. “Silence is not what we

artists wish,” Beethoven declared,

“We want applause.”



53

05 MASTERWORKS

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PROGRAM NOTES

SYMPHONY NO. 8 IN

G MAJOR, OP. 88

Antonín Dvorák ˇ (1841–1904)

WRITTEN / 1889

MOVEMENTS / Four

STYLE / Romantic

DURATION / Thirty-Five Minutes

In the summer of 1889, Antonín

Dvorák ˇ found himself in an enviable

position for a composer: No writer’s

block! His head was full of ideas.

On August 10, he wrote:

“If only one could write them down

straight away! But there I must go

slowly, only keep pace with my

hand, and may God give the rest.

I now have three movements of a

quartet with piano finished, and the

finale will be in a few days. It’s going

unexpectedly easily and melodies

simply pour out of me.”

Sure enough, he finished the Piano

Quartet in E-flat nine days later.

Within a week, he was jotting down

ideas for a new symphony—his first

in four years. He finished the piano

sketch of the entire symphony in less

than a month, and by November 8,

he completed the orchestral score.

Two months later Dvorák ˇ was

elected to the Franz Josef Academy

for Science, Literature, and Art at

Prague. As a token of gratitude,

Dvorák ˇ dedicated the symphony to

them. Shortly after that, Cambridge

University awarded him an honorary

doctorate. He offered the symphony

to them as well, as an “exercise.”

(This sort of self-plagiarizing

isn’t nearly as bad as what earlier

composers did in order to make

more money. Beethoven simply

sold the same work to different

publishers.) Still, Dvorák ˇ got caught

up in a battle between publishers.

He was under contract to Simrock,

but that firm didn’t want expensive

symphonies. They didn’t sell nearly

as well as the little pieces like the

Slavonic Dances. Offended at

the high-handed tactics and low

prices of Simrock, Dvorák—in ˇ clear

breach of contract—offered his new

symphony to the English firm of

Novello. As a result, the symphony

was sometimes called “The English

Symphony” (in contrast to his

next symphony, the New World

Symphony).

There is nothing English about

Dvorák’s ˇ Eighth Symphony. It is,

instead, a musical depiction of

the Czech countryside. There is a

pastoral quality about the whole

work. Each of the four movements

seems more concerned with the

presentation of melody than with

real symphonic development. The

program annotator Richard Rodda

counts at least eight different

melodies in the first movement alone!

Dvorák’s ˇ great biographer, Otakar

Šourek, describes the work this way:

“In the G major symphony there

reigns a spirit of happy tranquility

as if, raised above the bustle of daily

existence and proud of the high

aims he has set himself, the author

was now enjoying the happiness and

satisfaction which is art’s own reward

and the delightful impressions which

loving and intimate intercourse with

Nature awakened within him.”

Another biographer puts it this way:

“This symphony is not profound.

It awakens no echo of conflict of

passion. It is a simple lyrical singing

of the beauty of our country for the

artist’s consolation.”


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LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 59

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Lansing Town Hall Series, Inc. is a non-profit organization. Proceeds support the Lansing Symphony Orchestra.


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01 POPS

SERIES

HOLIDAY

POPS!

12.15.24

POPS SERIES

GUEST ARTIST

SPONSOR

LAVONTE

HEARD

CHORUS MASTER & TENOR


Featuring The Singletons & TPAC Community Choir

led by LaVontè Heard

Immerse yourself in the magic of the season

with a spectacular collaboration with

Transcendence Performing Arts Center,

featuring a soul-stirring choir of over

100 voices from the Lansing community

and beyond! Led by LaVontè Heard, this

exceptional choir includes singers from

the Verna D. Holley Project, Bread House

International Ministries Choir, The Jeremy

Winston Chorale International, and

Jeremiah Towner & Highest Praise. Get

ready to be transported by the joyous and

soulful sounds of gospel and classic holiday

music in a heartwarming celebration for the

whole family to enjoy!

ADDITIONAL

SUPPORT

PROVIDED BY

U of M

Health Plan

U of M Health -

Sparrow

Plas-Labs

LaVonté L. Heard, an accomplished tenor celebrated for his

classical and gospel performances, is the Founder and Executive

Director of Transcendence Performing Arts Centers, Inc., and a

recipient of the Sphinx MPower Grant.

Heard graduated with a degree in

Vocal Performance from Central

State University and furthered his

studies at Louisiana State University

in Opera Performance. He holds a

Master of Education in Educational

Leadership from Central Michigan

University and a master’s degree

in Choral Music Education from the

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

He is currently pursuing a Doctorate

in Educational Leadership at Central

Michigan University.

Heard has performed worldwide,

collaborating with the Cleveland

Symphony Orchestra, Dayton

Philharmonic, Czech National

Symphony Orchestra, and Sphinx

Virtuosi, among others. His

performances have taken him to

prestigious venues such as Carnegie

Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy

Center, and Schloss Mirabell in

Salzburg. Besides his performance

career, Heard is deeply committed

to music education and children’s

access to the arts. He has served

as a music teacher, Arts Program

Development Specialist, and clinician,

conducting masterclasses globally.

Heard is a member of several

professional organizations

including the Exigence Vocal

Ensemble, the American Choral

Directors Association, and the

National Association of Teachers

of Singing. He continues to impact

the arts through teaching voice

at the TPAC Voice Studio and

serving as the inaugural Artistic

Director of the Verna D. Holley

Project, priZm Chorale, and the

TPAC Mosaic Children’s Chorus.

ORCHESTRA LANSING SYMPHONY PERSONNEL

ORCHESTRA

POPS 01 | HOLIDAY POPS

79

THE SINGLETONS

Born and raised in Lansing, Michigan, The Singletons made a

name for themselves early in our vibrant Gospel community.

TPAC CHORAL UNION

Many of Lansing’s finest voices offering audiences a spirited

experience that is sure to excite the whole family.

Born and raised in Lansing,

Michigan, The Singletons made a

name for themselves early in that

vibrant Gospel community. Sisters

Camilla, Catrice, and Andrea began

singing locally as the Singleton

Sisters in the 90s. They caught the

attention of Gospel singer Marvin

Sapp, who was looking for a backing

vocal group for his tour in 2000.

So the sisters recruited nieces and

nephews Tia, Carmen, Crystal, Ryan,

and Alfred to form the octet that

became The Singletons.

During a year of working with

Sapp, The Singletons received their

first exposure to national Gospel

audiences, and they caught the

attention of Detroit-based Gospel

superstar Fred Hammond. Hammond

signed the group to his F Hammond

Music record label and worked with

them on their debut album, Pour

Out Your Holy Spirit, which landed

in the Gospel Top 40. In 2006, the

group released its eagerly anticipated

follow-up Better Than That, with

Hammond again producing.

The Singletons continue to

be among the finest gospel

groups in Lansing, having made

their indelible mark on the

international gospel music stage.

Transcendence brings together

voices from all over the country

for the Transcendence Performing

Arts Center Choral Union, featuring

voices of the TPAC Verna D. Holley

Project, The Jeremy Winston

Chorale International, The Bread

House International Ministries,

The Detroit School of the Arts

Concert Choir, Jeremiah Towner

& Highest Praise, and many of

Lansing’s finest voices offering

audiences a multi-genre, “spirited,”

experience that is sure to excite

the whole family. Over 100 voices

come together to join the Lansing

Symphony to sing Negro Spiritual,

Gospel, and Holiday Favorites.

Featured Musicians:

Nicole Greenidge Joseph, soprano

Candace Potts, soprano

Robert L. Kyle III, tenor

Marcus Stringer, piano

Visit tpacworldwide.org

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA POPS 01 | HOLIDAY POPS

81

02 POPS

SERIES

THE MUSIC

OF QUEEN

02.08.25

POPS SERIES

GUEST ARTIST

SPONSOR


Featuring Jeans ‘N Classics & DeWitt High School

Chamber Choir

JEANS ‘N CLASSICS

“Queen - One Vision” by Jeans ‘n Classics is

a musical tribute to the legendary rock band

Queen, blending rock and orchestral music. This

show captures the essence of Queen’s dynamic

sound, featuring their greatest hits in unique

arrangements. With a fusion of rock band

energy and symphonic grandeur, it celebrates

the timeless appeal of Queen’s music, offering

fans a one-of-a-kind concert experience.

ADDITIONAL

SUPPORT

PROVIDED BY

Foster Swift

Plante Moran

Over the past 27 years, Peter Brennan’s Jeans ‘N Classics has

revolutionized orchestral performances.

By merging world-class rock

musicians with symphonies,

Jeans ‘N Classics has significantly

broadened audience demographics

across North America. This innovative

approach not only engages a wide

age range, from 25 to 75 years and

beyond, but also honors the legacy

of both legendary and contemporary

rock and pop artists through new

interpretations that blend orchestral

richness with rock vitality.

Jeans ‘N Classics is renowned for

its high-caliber musicians who

are deeply familiar with orchestra

culture and committed to enhancing

symphonic experiences.

Their expertly crafted scores

have earned accolades globally

for lush, detailed arrangements

that spotlight the symphony

with a rock perspective. With a

repertoire that includes nearly

1,000 original orchestrations and

45 unique productions, Jeans

‘N Classics collaborates with

over 100 orchestras, showcasing

their work in a variety of venues

and continuing to shape the

modern symphonic landscape.


POPS 02 | THE MUSIC OF QUEEN

83

and achieve new musical heights.

This commitment to excellence

and community makes their

performances profoundly resonant

with audiences.

DEWITT HIGH SCHOOL

CHAMBER CHOIR

Composed of top vocal talents from DeWitt High School,

this advanced ensemble is celebrated for its precision,

versatility, and artistry.

Students Performing:

Brayden Balsis, Rylan Bowman,

Joseph Buckmaster, Grayson Busch,

Nolan Colligan, Preston DeLaCruz,

Gwen Doefler, Roswell Earl, Leah

Gates, Caleb Haman, Luke Ladd,

Auden Lenneman, Emily Liston,

Ben Lovejoy, Olivia Mollitor, Rowan

Page, Story Purdy, Carson Reynolds,

Addie Ricks, Jacob Schorfhaar,

Pia Sanares, Carlyanna Smith,

Maddie Snawder, Taylor Stallings,

Wesley Stierley, Camber Stine,

Madeline Torrence, Christine Troy,

Lily Utrup, Maddie Utrup, Lincoln

Walker, Kayla Warner, Sarah Weller,

Aislinn Wilcox, Cooper Zischke

The DeWitt High School Chamber

Choir, under the direction of Meghan

Eldred-Woolsey and accompanied

by John Dale Smith, stands as a

pinnacle of musical excellence and

community pride. Composed of

top vocal talents from DeWitt High

School, this advanced ensemble

is celebrated for its precision,

versatility, and artistry. Their

diverse repertoire includes classical

choral works and contemporary

pieces, earning them a reputation

for exceptional performances and

numerous accolades.

Since 2019, the Chamber Choir has

consistently achieved top honors

at the Michigan School Vocal Music

Association (MSVMA) All-State

Festival, including being named

Outstanding Choir of the Year in

2024. They have also performed

at the Michigan Music Conference

multiple times, with notable

appearances in 2011, 2014, and 2024.

The choir’s impact extends beyond

performances, significantly

influencing its members’ growth and

musical paths, with many alumni

pursuing advanced music studies. At

its core, the Chamber Choir fosters a

supportive community, encouraging

each member to contribute to its

legacy, enhance collaboration,

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LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA POPS 02 | THE MUSIC OF QUEEN

Learn more at

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03 POPS

SERIES

DIVA LEGENDS

John Varineau, conductor

Featuring LaKisha Jones & Nova Payton

04.17.25

POPS SERIES

GUEST ARTIST

SPONSOR

JOHN

VARINEAU

CONDUCTOR

From the sweet refrains of Alicia Keys to the

earth-shaking vocals of Whitney Houston,

LaKisha Jones and Nova Payton channel the

charisma and charm of some of the greatest

legends of disco, pop, and R&B. Relive the songs

you know and love, with chart-topping hits

from Gloria Gaynor, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Tina

Turner, Diana Ross, Alicia Keys, and more!

ADDITIONAL

SUPPORT

PROVIDED BY

Güd Marketing

John Varineau was the associate conductor of the Grand Rapids

Symphony for thirty-six years, and the conductor of the Grand

Rapids Youth Symphony and Classical Orchestras for

thirty-three years.

John Varineau has appeared as

guest conductor on the podium

of numerous orchestras in the

Midwest and was the Music Director

of the Holland (MI) Chamber

Orchestra (now the Holland

Symphony Orchestra) for four

years. He served on the faculties

of Cornerstone University, Grand

Valley State University, Grand

Rapids Community College and,

most recently, Calvin University

where he was Professor of Music and

conductor of the Calvin University

Orchestra and the Calvin Community

Symphony. He continues to conduct

for the Grand Rapids Ballet.

He is the program annotator for

the Grand Rapids Symphony, the

Lansing Symphony, and the Reading

Symphony. John Varineau grew

up in the state of Wyoming, the

child of a mathematics professor

and a Cheyenne Frontier Days

queen, and studied at Michigan

State University, the University of

Wyoming, and Yale University.


POPS 03 | DIVA LEGENDS

87

LAKISHA

JONES

VOCALIST

NOVA

PAYTON

VOCALIST

LaKisha Jones, a standout finalist from the 2007 season of

“American Idol,” has made significant marks in music,

theatre, and television.

LaKisha’s album “So Glad I’m Me”

showcases her vibrant R&B and soul

style, featuring collaborations with

notable producers and songwriters

such as Tony Nicholas, Ro & Sauce,

and Greg Curtis. The album includes

the single “Same Song” by Dianne

Warren, Whitney Houston’s “You

Give Good Love,” the gospel track

“Just As I Am,” and a heartfelt ballad

to her daughter, “Beautiful Girl.”

Raised in Flint, Michigan, Jones was

deeply influenced by legendary

singers like Whitney Houston and

Aretha Franklin. Encouraged by

her family, she began her singing

career in church choirs, leading to

her victory at Flint’s local talent

contest, The Super Show, in

1997. Her journey took her from

“American Idol” to Broadway,

where she played “Sophia” in The

Color Purple, a role she shared with

her mentor, Chaka Khan. Jones

also participated in Khan’s 35th

Anniversary Tour and later worked

as a vocal coach on MTV’s “Legally

Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods.”

Jones is also a celebrated soloist

with symphonies worldwide,

performing with ensembles such as

the National Symphony, San Diego

Symphony, and Utah Symphony and

Opera, demonstrating her versatile

and powerful vocal ability.

Instagram: @lakishajonesmusic

Nova Y. Payton, a celebrated soprano, has graced stages

internationally in musicals, special performances with The

American Pops Orchestra on PBS, and regional theater

productions across the U.S.

A former student at the American

Musical and Dramatic Academy,

Payton has collaborated with

renowned artists such as Stevie

Wonder, Roberta Flack, and

Yolanda Adams, and has opened for

icons like Ashford and Simpson, and

Stephanie Mills. Her performances

span over 150 cities globally,

including venues in Canada, Japan,

Saudi Arabia, and Europe.

Payton’s portrayal of iconic

roles, such as Effie White in

Dreamgirls, has earned her

critical acclaim, including a 2006

Barrymore nomination and a

Helen Hayes Award in 2012

for Best Supporting Actress in

Hairspray. She has received multiple

Helen Hayes nominations, and

notable performances include

lead roles in The Color Purple

and Into The Woods, and most

recently in Fela! in 2022.

In addition to her stage

achievements, Payton has performed

for significant events such as the

dedication of the Reverend Dr. Martin

Luther King, Jr. Memorial and on the

Jimmy Fallon late-night talk show.

Offstage, she directs her church

choir, Favour, at St. Martin’s Catholic

Church, and runs Yashim Studios, a

musical theater troupe for youth.

Instagram: @iamsimplynova

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA POPS 03 | DIVA LEGENDS

89

Together,

more is

possible.

Sparrow is now University of Michigan Health-Sparrow.arrow is now University of Michi


CHAMBER

SERIES

TIMOTHY MUFFITT, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

The Chamber Series is designed to showcase the

artistry of Lansing Symphony musicians in a special

setting and to introduce audiences to talented

artists and classical programming. All Chamber

Series concerts are performed at Molly Grove

Chapel at First Presbyterian Church of Lansing.

CHAMBER

SERIES

SPONSORED BY

Virginia Allen

and the late

Bruce T. Allen

LSO AT THE

ROBIN THEATRE


JARED MILLER, ARTISTIC CO-DIRECTOR

Join musicians of the Lansing Symphony for unique,

intimate concerts of contemporary chamber music. All

composers and works selected for this series have distinct

compositional voices that will connect with audience

members in new and unexpected ways. Performances

take place in The Robin Theatre in Lansing’s REO Town.

Concert 01

01.23.25

Concert 02

02.27.25

Concert 03

03.27.25

Concert 04

04.24.25

SPONSORED BY

Karen Lewis

CHAMBER 01 10.13.24

PIANO QUARTET

William Thain, violin

CHAMBER 03 12.08.24

VIOLIN & VIOLA DUO

Meg Rohrer, violin

WINTERLUDE

WINTERLUDE

CONCERT

02.02.25

Benjamin Penzner, viola

Jinhyun Kim, cello

Patrick Johnson, piano

CHAMBER 02 11.10.24

LUNAR STRING

QUARTET

Madeline Warner, viola

CHAMBER 04 01.26.25

VIOLIN, OBOE, &

PIANO TRIO

Florina Georgia Petrescu, violin

Stephanie Shapiro, oboe

Patrick Johnson, piano


Join musicians from the Lansing Symphony for an

afternoon of glorious heartwarming music. The concert

will feature flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, and

an alto sax all in the stunning sanctuary of St. Paul’s

Episcopal Church in Downtown Lansing.

ADDITIONAL

SUPPORT

PROVIDED BY

Tom & Jean

Shawver Memorial

Fund at St. Paul’s

Episcopal Church


CHAMBER SERIES, LSO AT THE ROBIN, WINTERLUDE

93

A HOME FOR MUSIC & COMMUNITY

Lansing Symphony Orchestra is honored to have been part of the

community’s rich cultural fabric for 95 years. We are delighted to

bring music beyond the concert hall and into our neighborhoods.

The LSO is committed to taking

an active role in the development

of music education programming

for Greater Lansing area youth. By

bringing music into the lives and

classrooms of young audiences,

we hope students will acquire

an interest in and appreciation

for orchestral music and their

community’s symphony.

Visit lansingsymphony.org

for more information

CONCERTS ON THE LAWN

Bring your lawn chairs or blankets

to enjoy a wonderful casual concert

of chamber music outside. Picnic

baskets are encouraged! Concerts

take place at MSUFCU Headquarters

in East Lansing.

Summer 2025 Dates: TBA

FAMILY SERIES

LSO partners with community

organizations to present an

interactive series that connects

families and their children with music,

art, and literature. Performances

are held on Sunday afternoons

throughout the Lansing area.

October 20, February 23,

May 4, May 18

SIDE BY SIDE PERFORMANCE

This program provides an

opportunity for student

instrumentalists to perform

alongside LSO musicians. Students

participate in an audition process

similar to that of a professional

orchestra, and those chosen join

the LSO in a rehearsal and for

selections in the Holiday Pops

concert. Students gain the invaluable

experience of being part of a

professional orchestra. The Side by

Side Auditions are held in November.

STUDENT ACCESS PROGRAM

The StudentAccess Program

offers $15 tickets to MasterWorks

Series performances. Students

must possess a valid student ID.

YOUNG PEOPLE’S

CONCERT: LINK UP

Conductor Timothy Muffitt and

the Lansing Symphony Orchestra

present a complete, interactive

orchestra concert on the Wharton

Center stage. Link Up is a partnership

with Carnegie Hall and has become a

model for implementing high-quality

arts education in schools nationwide.

Schools are provided with student

workbooks, teacher guides, and a

professional development course

for in-class lessons on the Link Up

materials for a small per-student

fee. For an additional fee, teachers

receive recorders that students can

play during the concert. Students

perform what they have learned from

their teachers in the classroom in an

exciting performance with the LSO.

FAMILY FUN CARD

The Family Fun Card offers $15

MasterWorks and $10 Chamber

tickets for the entire family

with a $25 yearly membership

fee. Limited availability.

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA A HOME FOR MUSIC & COMMUNITY

95

VOLUNTEERING FOR THE LSO

If you are interested in volunteering, please call the office at

(517)487-5001 or fill out the form on lansingsymphony.org and

let us know your interests. The tasks can be yearlong or for one

event only. Why not become an active part of the LSO family?

GENERAL OFFICE SUPPORT

Our staff often needs help

with general office tasks such

as filing, mailings, and

answering phones.

CONCERT/PROGRAM ASSISTANCE

We need ushers and general

assistance for our Chamber and

Young People’s Concerts.

PUBLIC RELATIONS/MARKETING

We utilize volunteers to help

distribute posters and brochures

throughout the Lansing area to

advertise our performances.

EDUCATION

Our staff appreciates any

assistance for educational

programs throughout the season.

LANSING TOWN HALL

Ruth Ann Brunet, PRESIDENT

Nancy Kopietz, VICE PRESIDENT

Sue Coley, SECRETARY

Kathy Humphrys, TREASURER

Through its Celebrity Lecture Series,

Lansing Town Hall has supported

the Symphony’s annual operations

since 1953. Patrons meet at the

Eagle Eye Golf and Banquet Center

in Bath, Michigan, for a one-hour

lecture, an optional luncheon, and

an opportunity to ask the guest

speaker questions. Subscriptions are

$240 for the Lecture and Luncheon

Series (including Q & A with the

speaker) and $125 for lectures only.

Individual tickets can be purchased

at the door, subject to availability.

The 2024-2025 71st season features

vocal group Three Men and a

Tenor (October 7, 2024), historian

and author Caroline Winterer

(November 11, 2024), “The First

Ladies Man” Andrew Och (April

7, 2025), and author, scholar, and

lecturer Elliot Engel (May 5, 2025).

Additional information about

the series is available at

lansingsymphony.org or by

contacting Ticket Chair Margaret

Hedlund at (517) 323-1045, Lansing

Town Hall President Ruth Ann Brunet

at (517) 202-0937, or the Lansing

Symphony office at (517) 487-5001.

PRO SYMPHONY

The Pro Symphony organization was

founded in 1947. Over the years, our

members have been loyal supporters

of the Lansing Symphony, raising

and contributing substantial

monies from fundraising projects

and serving in various capacities.

We generally hold three business

meetings per year to plan our

activities. We provide refreshments

for orchestra members at dress

rehearsals and Chamber Concert

attendees. For fundraising, we have

an annual Geranium Sale in May

and a Poinsettia Sale in December.

We invite new members to join

this group of committed women

who enjoy working together for a

common cause. Pro Symphony is

an excellent opportunity to invest

in the Orchestra in satisfying ways.

EXPLORE

THE POSSIBILITIES THROUGH MUSIC

MSU Community Music School offers music education and

music therapy for all ages and abilities. Programs include:

• Private Lessons

• Choirs

• Early Childhood Music

• Music Therapy

• Adult Beginning Band

• String Ensemble

For more information

visit www.cms.msu.edu or call (517) 355-7661

ENROLL TODAY!

MSU COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL, 4930 S. HAGADORN RD., EAST LANSING, MI

CMS is the outreach arm of the MSU College of Music.

• Suzuki

• Folk

• Summer Camps

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA VOLUNTEERING FOR THE LSO

97

CORPORATE LEADERS FOR THE ARTS

AF GROUP

LISA CORLESS, PRESIDENT & CEO

“The Greater Lansing area is a dynamic business

and cultural hub for mid-Michigan, and AF Group

is proud to partner with the Lansing Symphony

Orchestra to help make our community an

exceptional place to live, work and play. By

promoting the arts, we are strengthening

our community for generations to come.”

FOSTER SWIFT COLLINS & SMITH, PC

JEFFREY S. THEUER, SENIOR ATTORNEY

“Congratulations to the Lansing Symphony

Orchestra and Maestro Muffitt on an

exciting upcoming season! We are fortunate

to have such outstanding musicians in

our community, and we look forward to

many more successful seasons ahead.”

AUTO-OWNERS INSURANCE

JAMIE WHISNANT, CHAIRMAN & CEO

“Auto-Owners is proud to support local

arts and culture through our continued

commitment to the Lansing Symphony

Orchestra. As a Lansing-based company,

we are fortunate to have a top-notch

musical organization so close to home.”

GÜD MARKETING

DEBBIE HORAK, PARTNER

“The Lansing Symphony Orchestra

reminds us all that when we gather as a

community, we compose a melody far

greater than the sum of its parts.”

CHALGIAN & TRIPP

LAW OFFICES, PLLC

SUSAN CHALGIAN, PARTNER

“Chalgian and Tripp is pleased to carry on

its long tradition of supporting important

community organizations, not the least

of which is our beloved Symphony.”

JACKSON NATIONAL LIFE

FAM OLOWOLAFE, ASST. VICE PRESIDENT,

FINANCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS, JACKSON®

“As a mid-Michigan resident, I am glad Lansing

Symphony Orchestra exists to contribute to our

community’s vibrant arts and culture scene. I am

grateful to work for an employer that also supports

LSO, especially their outreach and education

programs, increasing access to the arts in Lansing.”

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CORPORATE LEADERS FOR THE ARTS

99


95TH SEASON

MSU FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

APRIL CLOBES, PRESIDENT/CEO

“For over 85 years, MSUFCU has been

committed to fostering cultural enrichment

and supporting the vibrant arts community in

Mid-Michigan. We are honored to serve as the

presenting sponsor for the LSO Masterworks

Series this year and look forward to another

season of extraordinary performances.”

TRACTION BRANDS

CAMRON GNASS, FOUNDER/PRINCIPAL

“LSO is one of the most important and

impactful players in Lansing’s cultural

landscape. Traction is proud to help

them deliver their transformative

experiences to our community.”

PLANTE MORAN

“Plante Moran and Plante Moran Financial

Advisors are proud to be a sponsor of the

Lansing Symphony Orchestra. Together,

you can count on us to help you share and

celebrate the fine arts with our communities.”

PLAS-LABS, INC.

DAVE REGAN, PRESIDENT

“Plas-Labs believes that the arts play a

critical role in enriching a community,

bringing music education and culture to

residents. We are proud to support the

LSO as they carry out their mission.”

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

HEALTH PLAN

JENNIFER JOHNSTON, VP OF SALES

& MARKETING

“University of Michigan Health Plan is proud to

support the LSO celebrating the vital role of music

in enhancing community well-being and health. This

partnership underscores our commitment to cultural

enrichment and the therapeutic benefits of music.”

WKAR

SHAWN TURNER, GENERAL MANAGER

& DIRECTOR OF BROADCASTING

“As WKAR celebrates a century of service to our

community, we are mindful of all the organizations

that have made Lansing the dynamic and culturally

vibrant place it is today. WKAR has enjoyed a long

partnership with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra,

and we are proud to support their new season.”

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA CORPORATE LEADERS FOR THE ARTS

101


UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

HEALTH – SPARROW

MARGARET DIMOND, PH.D., REGIONAL

PRESIDENT

PREVIEW

CONVERSATIONS

WITH JODY KNOL

6:45 PM | JACKSON LOUNGE

“University of Michigan Health-Sparrow has

been in the community for nearly 130 years

and we know that music is an essential part of

healing. Our clinical expertise is second to none

but we also understand how music connects

mind, body and spirit to assist the healing

process. UM Health-Sparrow is proud to be a

sponsor of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra.”

Jody Knol blends insightful information about the featured composers,

music, and guest artists. PreView Conversations give you a chance to hear

selected passages of music, learn some of the histories of the music, and listen

to the artists performing. PreViews are an excellent opportunity to feel more

connected to the evening’s program and the musicians performing it.

Jody Knol began announcing

classical music on 90.5 WKAR

while a student at MSU in 1982.

After receiving his degree in

Interdisciplinary Humanities-music,

theater, and political science-

Jody worked as chief announcer

for WMUK in Kalamazoo for two

years before returning to WKAR

in 1986. He currently hosts the

morning classical program from

9:00 am to 1:00 pm on weekdays.

Jody’s association with the Lansing

Symphony Orchestra began in 1986

when he hosted LSO broadcasts on

90.5 Classical. Lansing Symphony

recordings are now part of Great

Lakes Concerts which Jody

produces and hosts. Great Lakes

Concerts air Saturdays at 12:00

pm on 90.5 FM and WKAR.org,

Sundays at 12:00 pm on WBLV,

Blue Lake Public Radio, Sundays

at 4 pm on MRCJ, Detroit, and

Mondays at 6 pm on Classical

IPR, Interlochen. This is Jody’s

nineteenth year hosting Lansing

Symphony PreView Conversations.

PREVIEW CONVERSATIONS

PRESENTED BY


PREVIEW CONVERSATIONS

103

SYMPHONY SUPPORTERS

MAESTRO SOCIETY

PRINCIPAL PLAYER CIRCLE

COMPOSER CIRCLE

Daniel & Leona Bronstein

GOLDEN BATON CIRCLE

$5,000 TO $9,999

$2,500 TO $3,499

Sulin Campbell

$25,000+

AF Group

Arts Council of Greater Lansing

Capital Area Transportation Authority

Auto-Owners Insurance

Jenny Bond

Karlis & Mariana Austrins

Thomas & Denise Carr

Catherine & The Late Allan Claypool

City of Lansing

Charles Ballard & June Youatt

Peter & Trudy Chiaravalli

April Clobes & Glen Brough

Ronald & Carol Dooley

John & Susan Brewster

Sue Coley & Don Leduc

Thomas & Wendy Hofman

Eileen Ellis

Donald Dickmann & Kathleen McKevitt

Don & Christine Cooley

Hari Kern

Enterprise Holdings Foundation

James Engelkes

Maria Costa-Fox

Lansing Town Hall Series, Inc.

Granger Foundation

Sam & Liz Febba

Karen Dichoza

Michigan Arts and Culture Council

Jerry & Lynne Granger

John & Gretchen Forsyth

Judith Donakowski

MSU Federal Credit Union

Cliff & Sue Haka

Charles & Nadean Hillary

Kristopher Drake

Lyn Donaldson Zynda

John & Fran Loose

Heidi Kaiser

Financial Technology, Inc.

Richard & Lorayne Otto

Karen Lewis

Colleen Hyslop

PNC Foundation

The Louis & Helen Padnos Foundation

Ron & Mary Junttonen

CONCERTMASTER CIRCLE

Randy Rasch

David & Mandi Meyen

Michael Kamrin & Katherine O'Sullivan See

$10,000 TO $24,999

R.E. Olds Foundation

Tim & Tracy Mielak

Michael & Paula Koppisch

Anonymous

Travis & Courtney Millbrook

Catrice Lane

Virginia P. and the Late Bruce T. Allen

Robert & Shelagh Miller

Mary Liechty

Joe & Beth Anthony

MUSICIAN CIRCLE

George & Marilyn Nugent

Gregory Limmer & Anne Nolan

Sam & Mary Austin

$3,500 TO $4,999

Janet Patrick

Clare Mackey

Mary Ann Beekhuis

Bruce & Suzanne Caltrider

Steve & Kathryn Robinson

Sarah Maldonado

Capital Region Community Foundation

Chalgian & Tripp Law Offices PLLC

Zoe Slagle

Joan & Jerry Mattson

David H. Brogan

R. Samuel & Jean Holland

University of Michigan Health - Sparrow

James & Sue Miller

Susan Davis

Loomis Law

Jane Vieth

Elinore Morin & Norman Birge

Nancy Eyde

Michigan Humanities

John & Susan Wallace

Eric Olmscheid

Donald & Jan Hines

Michael & Betty Moore

Wells Fargo - Kahl, Kahl, Caltrider

Jamie Paisley

Jackson National Life

Timothy & Elise Muffitt

Joan Wright

Nancy Parmenter

Darcy & Hudson Kerr

David & Marilyn Nussdorfer

Rose & Jim Zacks

Richard & Susan Patterson

Plante Moran

Dawn & Ryan Opel

Ronald & Helen Priest

Jonathan & Amy Riekse

Plas-Labs, Inc.

Kevin & Jill Roragen

Rotary Club of Lansing Foundation

Katie Thornton

CONDUCTOR CIRCLE

Brian & Renee Roth

Richard Witter

$1,250 TO $2,499

Judith & Bud Shulman

Anonymous

Otto & Marcia Stockmeyer

Rebecca Bahar-Cook & Todd Cook

Jeff & Angela Straus

Pat Barnes-McConnell

Jeffrey Theuer & Sally Sproat

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SYMPHONY SUPPORTERS

105

SYMPHONY SUPPORTERS

95TH SEASON

Bob Thomas

John & Diane MacDonald

Choose Lansing

Principal Financial Group

Greg & Joan Uitvlugt

Pat & Mary McPharlin

Jean Dietrich

Roy Saper & Nell Kuhnmuench

Bethany Verble

Tom Meagher

John & Lori Durling

Andrew & Erin Schor

Ralph & Albertine Votapek

Lyle S Mindlin & Julie LaFramboise

Christina & Mike Ferland

David & Bette Shattler

Bill & Paula Weiner

Irv Nichols

Bryce & Judith Forester

David & Sharon Sinclair

Clarence Weiss

George Orban & Rae Ramsdell

Barbara Free

Philip & Carolyn Sinder

Joel & Linda Zylstra

Bill & Shirley Paxton

Diane Gartung

John Dale Smith

Edgar & Mary Ploor

Diana Gover

Linda L. Smith

NOTEWORTHY SOCIETY

Mark Reckase

Eric & Alana Reome

Norman & Karen Grannemann

James & Tina Grant

Marc & Mary Speiser

Bob Stander

WHOLE NOTE SOCIETY

Phyllis & Jamie Riley

Linda & Leon Gregorian

Robert & Joan Trezise, Sr.

$600 TO $1,249

Robert & Rosemary Schaffer

Jack & Laurie Harkema

Darryl Warncke

Anonymous

Dotti Shonkwiler

Deborah Harrison

Elaine & Victor Weipert

Carol Beals-Kruger

Ilene Tomber

Ralph & Pat Hepp

Eric Wildfang

Suzanne Brouse

Robert Walter & Madeline Trimby

Daniel A. Horn

Chris Buck & Martha Hentz

Robert & Charlotte Wilks

Daniel & Allison Horn

Nick & Karen Colovos

Jeff Williams

Josh & Jena Hovey

QUARTER NOTE SOCIETY

Manya Constant

John & Margaret Jones

$100 TO $299

Mary Jo McElheron

Donna Kachmarchik - Kregelka

Gerald & Jean Aben

Crippen Buick GMC Mazda Volvo

HALF NOTE SOCIETY

Melissa Keeley

Pauline Adams

Dewpoint Inc

$300 TO $599

Marilyn S. Kesler

Arlene Allan

Larry & Linda Dobias

Anonymous

Boyd Kinzley

William & Jane Allen

Ed Fedewa

N.L. Abramson

Nancy Lange

Bonnie Allmen

Sharon Feldman

Gary Anderson

Gus & Katie Lo

Kevin & Lea Ammerman

Betty Francis

Jeffrey Anderson & Jason Joostberns

David & Laurie Lockman

Jill Andringa

John & Tammie Gingas

Marilyn Baird

Bill & Sue MacLeod

Rachel Asbury

Charles Gliozzo

Thomas & David Block-Easterday

David & Catherine Marr

Jose & Melissa Aste

Jeff & Sally Harrold

Emmett & Karen Braselton

Jim & Sally McCoy

David & Carol Baker

Mark & Marcia Hooper

Charles & Barbara Breneman

Richard & Sue Mermelstein

Bank of America Charitable Foundation

Bill Jaconette

Ruth Ann Brunet

Roger & Kay Millbrook

Jenifer Banks

Richard Johnson

Sandy & Carol Bryson

James & Joanne Olin

Patty & John Barnas

Richard Kindervater

Tom Burchman

Robert & Ann Page

Robert & Laurie Barnhart

Manoochehr & Laurie Koochesfahani

Anita Calcagno

Jacqueline Payne

Dale Bartlett

Jeff Kressler

Karla Campbell

Bill Potter

Christopher Behrens

Lois Lynch

Renate Carey

Paul Pratt & Denise Chrysler

Walter & Antje Benenson


107

SYMPHONY SUPPORTERS

95TH SEASON

Susan MacKenzie & David Betts

Gerald & Linda Blair

Basil & Coralene Bloss

Douglas Moffat & Cara Boeff

Charles & Kathleen Bonneau

Kathy Branch

Carol Bray

Greg & Chrissie Brogan

David Brower

Alex & Mary J. Brown

Karl & Brigitta Bruning

Susan Burke

Steven & Barbara Bursian

Rev. John A. Byers

Jan Calkins

Claudia Carter

Mike Cavanaugh

Mary F. Chaliman

Phillip Churchill, Jr.

Daniel & Geralyn Cogan

Lawrence S. & Mary A. Combs

Brian & Renee Conklin

Christopher L. Conn

George A. Grof & Ann Cool

Lisa Corless

Hilary Cranmore

Meredith Crowl

Robert & Connie Cullum

Barb Cutshaw

Ken & Elly David

Gary Dawson

Tony Dean

Danielle Deneau

Robert Dewaal & Christine Aiello

Nicholas & Greta Dewolf

Dennis & Suzanne Dudley

Darrell F. Duffield

Sal Durso

James Eisele

Jeffrey & Susan Ellsworth

Suzanne S. Fabian

Inguna Fauser

James & Marny Figenshau

Nicola & Steve Findley

Maureen Fitzsimmons

Clyde & Karen Flory

Mary Anne Ford & Scott Schrager

Linda Foster

Stephen & Shelby Foster

Susanne Garber

Maggie Garza

Gary & Elaine Gillespie

Sharon E. Gillison

Ken & Karen Glickman

Camron & Lisa Gnass

Judy Green & Ron Welch

Roger & Marilyn Grove

Stephen & Joanne Guertin

Leta Guild

Rob Guston

Kurt & Barbara Guter

Sara Haase

Ralph & Suzanne Haefner

Cindy Hales

Katie Hamilton

Kenneth & Linda Hanson

Lauren Julius Harris

Stephen & Karen Harsh

Steve & Pam Hawkins

Mary & Larry Hennessey

William & Irene Henry

Richard & Susan Herrold

Dr. Karen Hinkle & Thomas Sullivan

Sharon Hobbs, PhD.

Thomas & Lynne Hoffmeyer

Elinor Holbrook

Robin Bessette & Rick Hollern

Melvin & Verna Holley

David & Christine Hollister

Chris & Deb Horak

Julie Horn Alexander

Beth Hubbell

Brian Huggler & Ken Ross

Kathy Humphrys

James & Krista Hunsanger

Ami Iceman Haueter

Daniel R. & Barbara G. Ilgen

Jeffrey Johnson

Nancy Johnson

Ron Jones

Paul Jurczak

Bill Kahl

Doug & Alison Kahl

Tim & Melissa Kaltenbach

David & Lori Kaufman

Don & Liz Kaufman

Tricia A. Keith

Amy Kissman

Jody Knol

Ronald & Suzanne Kregel

J.D. & Linda Krehbiel

Warren Krueger

Mary Ellen Lane

David Langlois

Jay Lannin

Jeanne Lebbon

Steven & Maria Leiby

Carl & Margaret Liedholm

Raymond Lincolnhol

Andrea Lindemeyer

Matt Lipsey

Willie Longshore & Margaret Fankhauser

Chris & Krista Loose

Gary & Carol Lundquist

Robert & Melany Mack

Joanne Mahoney

Peggy Malovrh

Diane Manetz

Kieron & Anne Marion

Wally & Linda Markham

David & Jennifer Marsh

Maija Martin

Lisa Martino-Cook

Chris Massey

Michelle Massey

Courtney Maurer

Duane & Maureen Mayhew

John Meara, Jr.

Patricia Menning

Grace Menzel & J.B. McCombs

Emily Metcalf

Bob & Nancy Metzger

James Miller

Gary Mitchell

Harry & Susie Moore

Lori Mourer

Chris & Jennifer Muffett

Miikhail Murshak

William & Sharon Myers

Maggie Narayan


109

SYMPHONY SUPPORTERS

95TH SEASON

Melissa Nay

Nancy Nay

Ron Newman & Sunny Wilkinson

Jerry & Valerie Nilson

Elaine Noffze

Maureen O'Higgins

Georgia Old

Bruce K. & Lois Omundson

Jeffrey & Mary O'Neill

Katherine O'Neill

John & June Osmer

Emily Pantera

Robert & Vicki Paski

John & Carrie Pence

John W. Person & Terry McKenney

David & Kathleen Peters

Steven & Janet Peters

Maria Pettyes

Tony Phillips

Mike Pike

Julie Pingston

Jason Pisarik

Howard & Nell Pizzo

Jacob Plotkin & Susan Schuur

Ellen Pollak & Nigel Paneth

Chloe Polzin

Frana Potter

Barry Preslaski

Joyce Preston

Jake Przybyla

Elaine Putvin

David Rayl

Ted Reinbold

Thomas & Martie Repaskey

Matt & Brenda Resch

Lewis & Monica Resnick

Michelle Reynaert

Michael & Kathleen Rhodes

Margaret Riggs

Karen Risch

John Roberts

Paul Roney

Pat & Tom Ryan

William Saul

James & Mary Savage

William & Mary Savage

Linda Schoenl

Jane Schoneman

Kevin Schumacher

Rachel Schumann

Kenneth & Dianne Schwartz

Paul Schwendener

John & Sharon Schwille

Amy Scoby

Mary Shankland

Mary Sharp

John Shaski

James Sinadinos

Noah & Jennifer Smith

Robert & Wendi Spagnuolo

Special Projects Engineering, Inc.

Brian Sperry

William & Lori Spielman

Naveena Spitz

Mary Jo Stacks

Jessica Starks

Deborah Starnes

Stan & Cindy Starnes

Robert & Sylvia Stevens

Christopher & Rebecca Surian

Emily Sutton-Smith & John Lepard

Bill Swarthout

Nicole & Mark Szymczak

Emily Tabuteau

Stuart Talsma

Gordon & Sheila Taylor

William Tennant

Peter & Sherry Trezise

George & Georgia Valaoras

Charlene Vanacker

William & Virginia Vincent

Maureen Watson-Bolger

Jane Wei

Jamie Whisnant

Barb & Jon Whitney

Gregory & Joan Wierzba

Donald & Sally Wilcox

Marilyn Wiley

Bill & Carol Ann Wilkinson

Jeff Williams & Joy Whitten

Keith & Nicole Williams

Amy Winans

Bill Woodbury

Jean Young

Catherine Zell

Kevin & Jennifer Zielke

Susan Zimmerman

The donor listing includes gifts received

between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024


111

GIFTS IN MEMORY

The Lansing Symphony Orchestra received gifts in

memory and in honor of the following individuals.

IN MEMORY OF

THE GUSTAV MEIER LEGACY SOCIETY

PLANNED GIVING:

A LASTING LEGACY

GEORGE & JANE ANDERSON

Jeffrey Anderson & Jason

Joostberns

KEN BEACHLER

David Brower

Catherine Claypool

Karen Dichoza

PATRICIA BROGAN

Greg & Chrissie Brogan

Petty Setiawan Manthe

JOHN CARRINGTON

Eileen M. Phifer

CHARLES & BARBARA DE GOLIA

Cheree De Golia

CONRAD DONAKOWSKI

Karen Dichoza

Jane Vieth

TOM GIDDINGS

Catherine Claypool

ZACHARY DAVID MICHAEL

KAZARINOFF – HORN SECTION

Jane Vieth

JOSEPH LEZAK

Josephine Michelakis

BEVERLY A. MCKENNEY

John W. Person & Terry

McKenney Person

MARILYN NUSSDORFER

Michael & Betty Moore

David Nussdorfer

BEN & CLARA SCHWENDENER

Paul Schwendener

GLENDA SIMPKINS

Otto & Marcia Stockmeyer

ROSEMARY WALKER

Patricia Daniels

Michael & Claudia Order

IN HONOR OF

GEORGE & MARYANN

CHRISTENSEN EYDE

Nancy Eyde

Planned Giving offers you the opportunity to make the

gift of a lifetime to the Lansing Symphony Orchestra

through your will or estate plan. Your gift – of any amount

– can build a sound future for you, your family and loved

ones while ensuring the orchestra continues to inspire

and build community for generations to come.

It’s surprisingly easy to ensure your charitable vision

serves as a permanent force for good.

Talk to your financial planner or estate attorney today

about including the Lansing Symphony in your plans.

We are grateful to the many individuals who have

remembered Lansing Symphony Orchestra in their wills

or estate plans. Their commitment to the orchestra has

created a legacy in our community.

Gustav Meier Legacy Society Members

Joe & Beth Anthony

Sam M. Austin & Mary E. Austin

Duane Bartrem*

Kenneth C. Beachler*

Jenny T. Bond

April M. Clobes & Glen F. Brough

Irene Mikulski DeCerte*

Susan Coley & Don LeDuc

Liz & Sam Febba

Michael G.* &

Deborah L. Harrison

* indicates patron is deceased

Bill Jaconette

Dr. Curtis* & Mary Liechty

Richard* & Lorayne Otto

Max & Shirley Ploughman*

Jerome & Joanne McCarthy*

Boots Teddy

Jane Karoline Vieth

Bill Weiner

Richard L. & Joan E.* Witter

Lyn Donaldson Zynda

It is our intention to recognize all those who have made a planned giving commitment to

LSO and wish to be recognized, if we have made an error please contact the LSO office.

LANSING SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA GIFTS IN MEMORY

113

PROGRAM BOOK ADVERTISERS

Adna Technologies...Inside Front Cover

AF Group....................................................... 73

Auto-Owners...............................................56

BRD.................................................................115

Burcham Hills...............................................48

Lansing Town Hall.....................................60

Maxson Dental.............................................64

Meridian Winds...........................................48

Morton’s Fine Catering............................ 55

MSU College of Music...............................65

Capital Region

International Airport.................................70

Chalgian and Tripp.....................................61

Clark Shaefer Hackett

CPAs & Advisors........................................62

CMU College of Arts and Media...........66

Dart Bank......................................................64

Eagle Eye Golf

& Banquet Center...................................... 77

Foster Swift.................................................. 67

Gladstone Printing..................................... 57

Granger Waste Services..........................69

Gravity Works Design and

Development...............................................69

Great Lakes Center

of Rheumatology....................................... 58

GÜD Marketing............................................63

Honigman LLP............................................. 67

Impression 5................................................. 75

Jackson National Life Insurance.......... 76

LaFontaine Automotive

Group Lansing.............................................48

Lansing State Journal............................... 72

Lansing Symphony Orchestra .............113

MSU Community Music School............. 97

MSUFCU......................................Back Cover

Pizza House..................................................74

Plante Moran................................................ 75

Plas-Labs....................................................... 32

Redhead Creative Consultancy &

Nelson Gallery.............................................68

Saper Galleries

and Custom Framing................................48

The Plant Professionals......................... 102

Traction........................................................... 13

U of M Health Plan..................................... 85

U of M Health-Sparrow.............................91

University Club............................................59

Wharton Center for

Performing Arts...........................................91

Williamston Theatre..................................66

WKAR.............................................................. 71

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msufcu.org | 800-678-4968

Cardholders will earn the following cash back rewards: 3% on groceries; 2% on gas, travel

(airlines, hotels, motels, resorts, taxi/limo, and car rental) and universities; and 1% on all

other purchases for every one U.S. dollar in eligible net purchases made on their VISA

Signature Credit Cards, rounded to the nearest whole dollar. Cash back is not earned on tax

payments, any unauthorized charges or transactions, cash advances, convenience checks,

balance transfers, or fees of any kind. Account must be in good standing to redeem cash

back. Returns result in the loss of cash back equal to amount returned. Negative cash back

will be given if returns or credits exceed purchases. Certain restrictions, limitations, and

exclusions apply. VISA Signature Credit Card has a $10,000 minimum limit.

Visit msufcu.org/visasignature for full terms and conditions.

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