DECEMBER 31 | NEAL GITTLEMAN CONDUCTS ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

Viva Italia!

1011 Five Program Book Covers.indd 2 9/14/10 7:23 PM

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Message from the Board Chair Wendy B. Campbell, Chair of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Association Board of Trustees

1sT ViOlinsJessica Hung, Concertmaster J. Ralph Corbett ChairAurelian Oprea, Associate Concertmaster Huffy Foundation Chair William Manley, Assistant Concertmaster Sherman Standard Register Foundation ChairElizabeth HofeldtKarlton TaylorMikhail BaranovskyLouis ProskeNancy MullinsBarry BerndtPhilip EnzweilerDona Nouné- Wiedmann Janet GeorgeRachel FrankenfeldJohn Lardinois

2nD ViOlinsKirstin Greenlaw, Principal Jesse Philips ChairChristine Hauptly Annin, Assistant PrincipalAnn LinGloria FioreKara LardinoisTom FetherstonLynn RohrYoshiko KunimitsuWilliam SlusserAllyson MichalYen-Ting Wu

ViOlAsSheridan Currie, Principal Mrs. F. Dean Schnacke Chair in Memory of Emma Louise OdumColleen Braid, Assistant PrincipalKaren Johnson Grace Counts Finch ChairChien-Ju LiaoBelinda BurgeLori LaMattinaMark ReisScott SchillingKimberly Trout

CellOsAndra Lunde Padrichelli, Principal Edward L. Kohnle ChairChristina Coletta, Assistant Principal Jane KatsuyamaNan WatsonMark HofeldtNadine MonchecourtMary Davis FetherstonEllen NettletonLinda Katz, Principal Emeritus

BAssesDeborah Taylor, Principal Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Assn. C. David Horine Memorial ChairJon Pascolini, Assistant Principal

Donald ComptonStephen UlleryChristopher RobertsJames FaulknerBleda ElibalNick Greenberg

FluTesRebecca Tryon Andres, Principal Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Assn. ChairJennifer NorthcutJanet van Graas

PiCCOlOJanet van Graas

OBOesEileen Whalen, Principal Catharine French Bieser ChairRoger MillerRobyn Dixon Costa

englisH HOrnRobyn Dixon Costa J. Colby and Nancy Hastings King Chair

ClArineTsJohn Kurokawa, Principal Rhea Beerman Peal ChairRobert GrayAnthony Costa*

BAss ClArineTAnthony Costa*

BAssOOnsJennifer Kelley Speck, Principal Robert and Elaine Stein Chair

Kristen CanovaBonnie Sherman

COnTrABAssOOnBonnie Sherman

FrenCH HOrnsRobert Johnson*, Principal Frank M. Tait Memorial Chair Aaron Brant, Acting Principal Elisa BelckTodd FitterAmy LassiterSean Vore

TrumPeTsCharles Pagnard, Principal John W. Berry Family ChairAlan SiebertAshley Hall

TrOmBOnesTimothy Anderson, Principal John Reger Memorial ChairRichard Begel

BAss TrOmBOneChad Arnow

TuBATimothy Northcut, Principal Zachary, Rachel and Natalie Denka Chair

TimPAniDonald Donnett, Principal Rosenthal Family Chair in Memory of Miriam Rosenthal

PerCussiOnMichael LaMattina, Principal Miriam Rosenthal ChairJeffrey Luft Richard A. and Mary T. Whitney ChairGerald Noble

KeyBOArDJoshua Nemith, Principal Demirjian Family Chair

HArPLeslie Stratton Norris, Principal Daisy Talbott Greene Chair

*Leave of Absence

Neal Gittleman, Music Director

Patrick Reynolds, Assistant Conductor and Conductor, DPYO

Hank Dahlman, Chorus Director

Jane Varella, Personnel Manager

William Slusser, Orchestra Librarian

Elizabeth Hofeldt, Junior String Orchestra Director

Welcome to the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra’s 78th season! We’re traveling on several “Voyages” this year, so pull out your ticket, hop aboard, and slide into the passenger’s seat. You’re in for a musical journey of discovery that will take you from Russia through the capitals of Europe to the Emerald Isle and from Broadway to New Orleans, with a short detour to the North Pole for the holidays! The Board of Trustees, our orchestral and choral musicians, Maestro Neal Gittleman, and our great staff warmly welcome you back and thank you for joining us.

In my opening letter last season, I mentioned that my brother, David Bohnett, is serving as Board Chair of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and our cousin, Jim Mabie, is Vice Chair of the Board of the Chicago Symphony. That phenomenon sparked some curiosity so I thought I would give you a bit more insight into my family and the orchestras we support.

Our story is not about growing up in a family of exceptional musical talent nor in a home where classical music was played 24/7. This is a story of a family who taught us it was our responsibility to give back to our communities. David, Jim and I are all lifelong residents of our respective cities. My brother has lived in L.A. for 36 years, I have lived in Dayton for 36 years and Cousin Jim has always lived in Chicago, our hometown. It’s this longevity – this commitment to support the cities that have supported us – we share. My brother and I are also very motivated by our shared commitment to promote and support diversity through the arts, using music and other forms of artistic expression as a vehicle for social change and a means to bring people together. We three share a love of music, of course, but mostly we share a passion to serve our communities.

So what do the orchestras in Dayton, Chicago and L.A. have in common? It’s not our budgets for sure! We have a $4-5M yearly

budget, while L.A. has a $90-100M annual budget and the Chicago Symphony has an operating budget of approximately $65M. But we all face the same primary challenge: finding creative ways to bridge the widening gap between ticket revenues, which are stable or declining, and costs, which are always increasing. In addition, the L.A. Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony, like the DPO, are seeking ways to increase their endowments and increase diversity on the board, in the audience and onstage. In short, all three orchestras strive to continue to be relevant in their respective cities, and in this way we are more alike than different.

Of course you can’t mention the Los Angeles Philharmonic without mentioning Gustavo Dudamel. For those of you who don’t know, he is the passionate, charismatic, worldwide sensation in classical music, who in 2009, at the age of 28, was named the Music Director of the L.A. Philharmonic. Dudamel is Venezuelan, and a product of El Sistema: a state supported program that teaches music to 300,000 of Venezuela’s poorest children, demonstrating the power of ensemble music to dramatically change the life trajectory of a nation’s youth. He is now bringing his inspiration to the youth of L.A. and his success underscores the importance of our own DPO education program. We don’t operate under a government sponsored model in this country (although we are awarded small education grants from the state), so we must continue to rely on your support to keep our program strong.

I had the privilege of attending Gustavo’s Inaugural Concert last year in Walt Disney Concert Hall, rubbing elbows with musical greats like Quincy Jones, John Williams and John Adams. I also had a chance to socialize with him that week, and when my brother told him I was affiliated with the orchestra here in Dayton, he grabbed my hand and asked me to please give everyone his very best. So, from Gustavo to you, warm regards. And from me to you, Bon Voyage!

Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Personnel

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executive staff Paul Helfrich ........................................... President Laurie Cothran ...................... Executive Assistant/ Office Manager Mya Cooper ..........Community Liaison Coordinator

Development staff Melanie Boyd ................... Director of Development Connie McKamey .........................Grants Manager Cherie Adams ................ Development Coordinator

education staff Gloria Pugh ........................... Director of Education Ellen Bagley ........................ Education Coordinator

Finance staff Peter Klosterman ..................... Director of Finance Debbie Phillips .......................Accounting Manager

Operations staff Matthew Borger ..................Director of Operations Erika Niemi ............................ Production Manager Jane Varella ............ Orchestra Personnel Manager Bill Slusser ..............................Orchestra Librarian marketing staff David Bukvic ..............................Director of Marketing and Public Relations Steve Myers .............................Outreach Manager Matt Sallans .... Interactive Communications Intern

Administrative Staff

Nevin Essex .................................Piano TechnicianLloyd Bryant .. Recording Engineer/Broadcast Host

iATse local #66 schuster Center stage CrewKim Keough .................................. Head CarpenterClarence Rice ......................... Assistant CarpenterSteve Williams ...........................Master ElectricianKeith Thomas ................................ Audio Engineer

The Staff of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra expresses its grateful appreciation to the

following volunteers who generously donate their time and talents in support of our efforts.

Thank you!

Administrative VolunteersCarol AlexanderM. Patricia BerryJanet GrieshopTheodore HuterManfred OrlowDixie SchefflerFred SchefflerShirley Williams

education VolunteersShari HulsmanMary Jane KeelerLois McGuire

events VolunteerJan Clarke

Happy 200th birthday, Frederic Chopin!It’s funny how composer anniversaries figure (and sometimes don’t figure) in programming decisions. Sometimes a composer is so important and an anniversary is so big that you make a big deal of it, as we did 2006 for Mozart’s 250th. Sometimes you don’t make a big deal, but you happen to play one of the composer’s pieces at just the right time, as we did last season with Schumann’s Rhenish Symphony in his bicentennial year. Sometimes you miss the anniversary entirely, as we will next year, when Franz Liszt turns 200.

And sometimes there’s a special case, like Chopin’s bicentennial.

Frederic Chopin was one of the most loved, most influential composers of the 19th-century. He wrote beautiful piano music, and knew everyone who was anyone in the worlds of music, art, and literature. He’s been one of my favorite composers ever since as a kid I managed to plunk my way through his Prelude in E Minor.

But Chopin hardly wrote a lick for the orchestra. Just a pair of piano concertos and four short pieces for piano and orchestra. So it’s hard to see how an orchestra can make a big deal of Chopin’s birthday.

But in early November we will!

Almost 20 years ago, when I was the Associate Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony, the MSO did a weekend of concerts with the late great Russian pianist Shura Cherkassky, who played both Chopin Piano Concertos – one on Friday night, the other on Saturday night. It was nice to hear both concertos played by someone with just three-degrees-of-separation from Chopin himself (Cherkassky studied with Josef Hofmann who studied with Anton Rubenstein who was a friend of Chopin). But I thought it was a little odd for the Milwaukee audiences, who, if they wanted to hear both concertos, had to hear Steven Paulus’ Concertante and Schumann’s Second Symphony twice.

When the time came to figure out how to honor the Chopin bicentennial I turned to one of my favorite pianists, Janina Fialkowska, and asked her if she’d be willing to come to Dayton and do what Cherkassky had done in Milwaukee – two different concertos in two nights. She agreed, and as we exchanged e-mails about the program, Janina came up with a great idea: two completely different concerts that would focus on Chopin and other important composers in his circle.

That’s exactly what we’re doing the first weekend in November. On Friday night the orchestra opens with the Waverly Overture by Hector Berlioz, followed by Janina doing a mini-recital of solo piano works

by Schumann and Chopin, with Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 to close. On Saturday night the DPO starts with Liszt’s tone-poem Les Préludes, followed by Janina playing solo piano works by Mendelssohn and Chopin, with Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 to close. That’s 15 different pieces in two nights, a true cornucopia of great romantic music!

With a name like Janina Fialkowska, you might think that I invited her to play these concerts because she’s Polish.

And you’d be wrong!

Janina is Canadian, born in Montreal to a Canadian mother and a Polish émigré father. Her family tree includes prominent Canadian doctors, bankers, and politicians. (And Christopher Plummer is her cousin!) Her link to Chopin (besides the fact that every pianist feels an affinity for Chopin) is through her mentor Artur Rubinstein, who was perhaps the greatest Chopin interpreter of the 20th century.

This brings me to my real topic: the notion of “ownership.” Look at orchestras’ season brochures and you’ll see this in action. Doing the Ravel Piano Concerto? Hire a French pianist. Programming a Shostakovich symphony? Invite a Russian guest conductor. Chopin bicentennial? Bring in a Pole. The assumption is that a musician’s heritage defines their repertoire.

That’s bunk, of course. Just think of the great French conductor Pierre Monteux. He was always associated with the music of French composers like Debussy, Ravel, and Franck, but his favorite composer was Brahms. And his is the best recording of Elgar’s Enigma Variations that I’ve ever heard.

Nobody owns a composer’s music except the composer. I’m suspicious of any musician who claims ownership of a particular composer’s or nation’s music. The notion of ownership implies that it’s the “owner” who’s important – more important than the composer. It implies that any interpretive decision the “owner” makes is correct, simply by virtue of who they are.

So no, I didn’t think of Janina Fialkowska to play Chopin because her dad was Polish. I thought of her because she’s an amazing pianist and a wonderfully sympathetic collaborator. In fact, though we’ve worked together many times, this will be our first time doing Chopin together.

I can’t wait. It’ll be a great weekend.

Chopin gets a birthday.

I get a present!

Neal’s Notes “Frederic Chopin and the Ownership society”

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Dayton Philharmonic Orchestraneal gittleman, music Director

NEW YEAR’S EVE CONCERT 2010Viva Italia!Karin Wolverton, soprano; Scott Piper, tenorJessica Hung, violinist; Ashley Hall, trumpeter

Presenting Sponsor: Kettering Health Network

Felix Mendelssohn From Symphony #4 (“Italian”)(1809-1847) I. Allegro vivace

Antonio Vivaldi From The Four Seasons, (1678-1741) Op. 8: Winter I. Allegro non molto II. Largo III. Allegro

Ms. Hung

Giacomo Puccini From Tosca: “E lucevan le stele”(1858 – 1924) From Madama Butterfly: “Un bel di” From La Bohème: Act I Duet

Ms. Wolverton & Mr. Piper

Ottorino Respighi From The Pines of Rome (1879-1936) IV. The Pines of the Appian Way

- I N T E R M I S S I O N -

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Capriccio italien, Op. 45(1840 – 1893)

Eduardo Di Capua “‘O Sole Mio!”(1865-1917)

Mr. Piper

Thursday

Dec. 31,20108:00 PmSchuster Center

For 10 years the Oakwood Accordion Band (OAB) has been adding members and performing at many key locations. Currently the OAB has 25 “accordionists” (and one drummer!) and they are located throughout the Miami Valley. Typically a dozen or more members participate in a concert.

When the band is playing everyone is clapping, singing, and having a great deal of fun. The “Beer Barrel Polka” (which many folks think is the national anthem of the accordion), is always a special, and many can’t wait for the Dayton Dragons to hear again “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Because the accordion is truly an international instrument, people hear “When Irish Eyes are Smiling” and a wonderful tango…“Lady of Spain.”

At the Oktoberfest, with the Dayton Art Institute, the focus is on German songs

and polkas. Typically 1,000 sheets of German songs are distributed, so many are singing and relating to the energy and fun at the Oktoberfest.

The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra invited the OAB to perform with them during a December Holiday Musical event. And since the band has now been on the stage of the Schuster Center, their goal now is…Carnegie Hall!

Lyrics are usually provided so all the audience is not only clapping their hands, many are singing with the wonderful songs presented by the Oakwood Accordion Band.

Members of the Oakwood Accordion Band always gave enjoyable performances at senior citizen centers, the annual “That Day in May” parade in Oakwood, and many other events.

The Oakwood Accordion Band Biography

The Oakwood Accordion Band

Charlie CampbellMary DavisSue Getz

Glenn FischerJeanne GrilliottPat Magoto

Steve MakofkaJerry NelsonPhil Ragno

Bonny SnyderChuck Spencer

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Victor Herbert From Naughty Marietta: (1859-1924) Italian Street Song

Ms. Wolverton

Jean-Baptiste Arban The Carnival of Venice(1825-1889)

Ms. Hall

Luigi Denza Funiculi, Funicula (1846-1922)

Ms. Wolverton, Ms. Hall, Mr. Piper

Giovanni Mazzo-Struzzo, II Sul bel Danubio azzuro(1825-1899)

Giovanni Mazzo-Struzzo, I Marcia di Generale Radezzchi(1804-1849)

Official Hotel of theDayton Philharmonic Orchestra

Official Automobile Dealershipof the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra

Season Media Partners:

Concert Broadcast on Saturday, January 22, 2011, at 10 a.m.

Soprano Karin Wolverton has been described by Opera News as “a young soprano to watch,” having “a lovely warm tone, easy agility and winning musicality.” Recently Ms. Wolverton sang the role of Mimì in La bohème with Pensacola Opera and sang the Spirit as well as covering the title role in Rusalka with Minnesota Opera. Engagements for 2009-2010 included Musetta in La bohème with Minnesota Opera, as well as covering the title role of Salome with the company and a concert appearance with Great Falls Symphony. Engagements for 2008-2009 included a reprisal of her role in The Grapes of Wrath with Pittsburgh Opera, the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro with Piedmont Opera, and Mimì in La bohème with Teatro Nacional de Managua in Nicaragua. Ms. Wolverton has been seen as Micaëla in Carmen with Des Moines Metro Opera, where in previous seasons she has been seen in the roles of Anne Trulove in The Rake’s Progress, and Antonia in Les Contes d’ Hoffmann.

Ms. Wolverton spent two summers as an apprentice with the Des Moines Metro Opera, covering the role of Marguerite in Faust as well as participating in

the Scenes Program. She recently graduated with a Master of Arts in Vocal Performance at the University of Minnesota, where she has performed several roles as part of its Opera Theatre: Madame Lidoine in Dialogue of the Carmelites, the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro and Nero in The Coronation of Poppea. Partial roles through the Opera Workshop include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, the Marschallin in Der Rosenkavalier, Laetitia in The Old Maid and the Thief, Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor, Agathe in Der Freischütz, and Micaëla in Carmen. Other past engagements include the Second Soprano in Park Square Theatre’s production of Masterclass and the featured soloist for the University of Minnesota’s Sesquicentennial Celebration.

Ms. Woverton was invited to participate in Central City Opera’s Young Artist Program in Colorado where she covered Giulietta in The Tales of Hoffmann and appeared in The Student Prince. In December, she sang the role of the Mother in the Minnesota Orchestra’s production of Amahl and the Night Visitors.

Karin wolverton, soprano Biography

Tenor Scott Piper’s rich, resonant voice and charismatic stage presence are quickly establishing him as a sought after interpreter of opera’s romantic leading men, in roles such as the Duke in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Don José in Bizet’s Carmen, Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Rodolfo in La

bohème. The Washington Post wrote of his Virginia Opera performance: “Scott Piper, as the Duke of Mantua, was given some of the finest tenor music in Italian opera and rose to its challenges impressively.” In the 2009-2010 season he was seen as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor with Tulsa

Scott Piper, tenor Biography

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scott Piper Continued

Opera, Cleveland Opera and Seattle Opera, and the title role in Faust with Dayton Opera as well as The New Israeli Opera.

His engagements for 2008-2009 included Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore with Dayton Opera, Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly with both Florentine Opera and the Utah Opera, the Duke in Rigoletto with the Anna Livia International Opera Festival in Dublin Ireland, and Roldofo in La bohème and Don José in Carmen with New Israeli Opera. Engagements for 2007-2008 saw Mr. Piper as Don José in Carmen once again with New York City Opera as well as with Intermountain Opera, returning to Jacksonville Symphony for Alfredo in La traviata, singing Cavaradossi for Utah Opera’s Tosca, and making his debut with Florentine Opera as Tebaldo in I Capuleti e i Montecchi.

Mr. Piper has been heard throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. He has recently appeared with Houston Grand Opera, the International Music Festival of Macau, Vancouver Opera (British Columbia), Compañia Lírica Nacional de Costa Rica, the New Peoples Theater of Moscow (Russia), Minnesota Opera, Opera Pacific, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra,

Dayton Opera, Madison Opera, Michigan Opera Theater, and New York City Opera. In Italy he has appeared in Rome, Catanzaro, Modena, Ravenna, and at Teatro di Verdi in Busseto. He also appears as Alfredo in the new DVD of Franco Zeffirelli’s production’s of La traviata with Stefania Bonfadell, Renato Bruson and conducted by Placido Domingo.

As a guest soloist Scott Piper has appeared with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Plymouth Symphony, the Canton Symphony Orchestra, the Flint Symphony, the Handel Choir of Baltimore, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Madison Symphony, the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra, and the Shreveport Symphony. With the Friends of the Opera of Michigan he sang the North American Premiere of Perosi’s oratorio La Rissurezione di Christo. Scott has received awards from: the University of Michigan Friends of the Opera, the National Society of Arts and Letters, the William C. Byrd Foundation, the Gerda Lissner Foundation, the Ken Boxley Foundation, the Licia Albanese-Puccini Competition, the George London Foundation, and received the Jim and Janice Botsford Study Grant.

At age 24, violinist Jessica Hung has already established herself as a rising young artist in the American orchestral world. Her appointment in 2008 as Concertmaster of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra is a first career milestone for the Cleveland Institute of Music graduate. However, Jessica is

no stranger to the leadership role of first-chair fiddle: she previously held the same title with the Annapolis, Chicago Civic, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Northwestern University Symphony Orchestras, as well as the position of Assistant Concertmaster with the Akron Symphony Orchestra.

Jessica Hung, violinist Biography

She is also a substitute violinist for The Cleveland Orchestra and the Baltimore and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestras.

In a successful first season in Dayton, Jessica made her solo debut with the DPO under Music Director Neal Gittleman, performing Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. Highlights of the 2009-10 season include performances of Bruch’s Concerto No. 1 on the DPO Classical series, Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 3 with the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and solo and chamber recitals on the DPO Chamber series.

Solo performances on the DPO’s 2010-11 season include Vivaldi’s “Winter” Concerto on New Year’s Eve and Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins with Principal Second Violin Kirstin Greenlaw. Jessica is also slated to perform Shostakovich’s Concerto No. 1 with the Kalamazoo Philharmonia.

An active teacher, Jessica joined the violin faculty at the University of Dayton in fall 2009, forging a vital link in the community between the Philharmonic and the University. She also mentors high school students in the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and the Centerville Schools Orchestra Program, coaching string sectionals and master classes. Jessica has served on the strings faculty of the Piano Preparatory School in Beavercreek and maintains a private studio of both violin and viola students.

Jessica’s appointments in Dayton came on the heels of intensive training with William Preucil, Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra, and Stephen Rose, Principal Second Violin. In 2007, she received a Bachelor of Music with Academic Honors from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She began her undergraduate education at Northwestern University, where she studied with Gerardo Ribeiro.

Jessica’s passion for orchestral music-making was evident in her student days, when she attended such prestigious training festivals as the Schleswig-Holstein Orchestral Academy in Germany and the New York String Orchestra Seminar. She spent two summers at the Tanglewood Music Center, where she performed major symphonic works with the Boston Symphony Orchestra after winning mock auditions. Her orchestral endeavors have taken her to the renowned venues of Carnegie Hall in New York and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Jessica gave her solo concerto debut with the Chicago Youth Concert Orchestra at age twelve. She has since appeared as a soloist with the University of Chicago Chamber and Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestras. For five consecutive seasons, Jessica had a special relationship with the Waukegan Symphony Orchestra: she held the unique title of Resident Soloist and appeared annually on subscription programs featuring works from the Romantic violin concerto repertoire.

Jessica’s prizes include the Northwestern University Thaviu String Competition, Union League Civic & Arts Foundation Scholarship Auditions, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra Feinberg Youth Auditions. She studied viola with Helen Callus of the University of California at Santa Barbara and has taken first place at the Chicago Viola Society Solo Competition. Jessica performed in master classes for Gil Shaham, Ruggiero Ricci, Zakhar Bron, Mauricio Fuks, Malcolm Lowe, Atar Arad, Bruno Pasquier, Lars Anders Tomter, the Beaux Arts Trio, and the Takács and Tokyo Quartets.

Born in Kankakee, Illinois, to Taiwanese parents, Jessica grew up in the Chicago area and resides in Dayton with her two cats, Nikki and Aeneas.

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Trumpeter Ashley Hall has appeared in concert halls, recital venues and churches around the world. From Boston’s Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to St. John’s College Cathedral in Cambridge, England, she dazzles audiences with her virtuosic technique and expressive tone. An active artist in the solo and orchestral realms, she holds the position of principal trumpet with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and Sinfonia Gulf Coast. She also plays third trumpet with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.

At the age of 13, she made her solo debut with the Capitol Winds Ensemble from Washington, D.C. at the National Trumpet Competition, playing the third movement of Johann Hummel’s Concerto for Trumpet. She also has been a featured soloist with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, the Roanoke Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) Wind Symphony, the CCM Concert Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Southwest Virginia and three-time soloist with the Washington Chamber Symphony at the Kennedy Center. In 2001, she took first place in the college division of the National Trumpet Competition, and first place in the International Trumpet Guild’s Solo Competition. In the summer of 2002, she performed Alexander Arutunian’s Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra with the Music Academy of the West’s Festival Orchestra, after winning that festival’s concerto competition. She has been a participant at the Music Academy of the West, Tanglewood Institute of Music, Eastern Music Festival,

Lake Placid Institute, and Brevard Music Center. She has served as the second trumpeter for the Wintergreen Music Festival.

In January 2005, Ashley premiered “An American Concerto,” a work written for her by Dayton composer Steven Winteregg. This trumpet concerto was commissioned by and performed with the Northwest Florida Chamber Orchestra. In April 2005, she was the featured soloist with the Lima Symphony Orchestra, performing the Hummel Concerto and J.B. Arban’s “Carnival of Venice.”

In the summer of 2006, Ashley appeared with the professional, all-women’s brass ensemble, Monarch Brass, at the International Trumpet Guild Conference in Glassboro, NJ. She was a featured artist at the International Women’s Brass Conference in Normal, IL, giving a recital and performing again with the Monarch Brass. In July, she traveled to Germany to perform with EUROBRASS and to record an album entitled, “Give Thanks to the Lord.”

In the fall of 2007, Ashley released her debut album entitled, “Behold Him,” a collection of hymns for solo trumpet. As an active trumpet worship artist she has performed in Germany for three summers with the Christian brass group, EUROBRASS, and has given trumpet ministry recitals in Mexico City and China.

Ms. Hall’s passion for making music is paralleled by a dedication and commitment to teaching and arts advocacy. As a MUSE Machine artist, she performs extensively in public schools with her husband, trumpeter

Ashley Hall, trumpeter Biography

Nathan Tighe. Their program “Art and Music: Making the Connection,” teaches students about important events in history and their influence on the development of art and music over the centuries. She also maintains a private teaching studio in her Cincinnati home.

Ms. Hall received her bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance from

the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music in 2003, where she was a student of Alan Siebert, Marie Speziale, and Philip Collins. She received her artist diploma degree from the Longy School of Music in 2007, where she was a student of Steven Emery. At Longy, she was awarded the Victor Rosenbaum Award for Excellence in Performance and Leadership.

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