FIFTY-FIFTH SEASON 2021-2022

PENINSULA SYMPHONY

THE 2021 – 2022 SEASON

GUEST CONDUCTORS

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CONCERT IKENNETH T. & EILEEN NORRIS FOUNDATION CONCERTSUNDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2021 Guest Conductor: Jorge Luis Uzcátegui  Soloist: Erika UzCa, ViolinDanzón No. 2 ..................................................................................................................... Arturo MárquezViolin Concerto in E minor ............................................................................................... Felix MendelssohnSymphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 ............................................................................ Ludwig van Beethoven

CONCERT IISUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2022 Guest Conductor: Andrew Shulman Soloist: Quenton Blache, CelloCello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191 ...........................................................................Antonín Dvorák Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93 .............................................................................Dimitri Shostakovich

EDITH KNOX PERFORMANCE COMPETITION FINALSSUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2022

CONCERT IIISUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2022 Guest Conductor: Anthony Parnther Soloist: Rob Schaer, TrumpetBallade in A minor, Op. 33 .......................................................................................Samuel Coleridge-TaylorTrumpet Concerto ....................................................................................................Aleksandra PakhmutovaSymphony No. 1 (Afro-American) ....................................................................................William Grant StillLift Every Voice and Sing* ........................................................................................ John Rosamond Johnson *with the Selah Gospel Choir

CONCERT IVKENNETH T. & EILEEN NORRIS FOUNDATION CONCERTSUNDAY, JUNE 26 2022 Guest Conductor: David Cubek Soloist: Mi-Hyun Suh, PianoMade in America .......................................................................................................................... Joan TowerConcerto No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra in F minor, Op. 21 ................................................... Frédéric Chopin Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 .........................................................................Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

CONCERT VSUMMER POPSSUNDAY, JULY 31, 2022MASTERS OF MOVIE MUSIC Guest Conductor: Gary Berkson

Program notes will be provided at each concert.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

3 THE 2021 - 2022 SEASON

7 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

9 GUEST CONDUCTOR JORGE LUIS UZCÁTEGUI

11 GUEST CONDUCTOR ANDREW SHULMAN

13 GUEST CONDUCTOR ANTHONY PARNTHER

15 GUEST CONDUCTOR DAVID CUBEK

17 GUEST CONDUCTOR GARY BERKSON

18 SOLOISTS

20 SYMPHONY SUPPORT

21 MEMBERSHIP

22 MEMBERS

24 KRIS METTALLA: THE LIFE OF A MODERN-DAY TIMPANIST

26 YOUTH ORCHESTRA

27 EDITH KNOX YOUNG ARTISTS COMPETITION

29 BOARD MEMBERS

30 ADVERTISERS INDEX

PENINSULA SYMPHONY ASSOCIATIONPO BOX 2602, PALOS VERDES PENINSULA, CA 90274 310-544-0320 WWW.PENSYM.ORG

CONTENT EDITOR: Nancy Mahr ADVERTISING EDITOR: Jackie Crowley PHOTOGRAPHY: Bruce Erickson, Ken Gash, Larry Zinkiewicz ART DIRECTOR: Stephen Ozawa, designEDGE PRINTING: Weber Printing Company

FIFTY-FIFTH SEASON 2021-2022

PENINSULA SYMPHONY

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We’re back! After a lost season due to the pandemic that has disrupted all our lives, we’re ready to launch our 55th season of wonderful and free classical music concerts for our community. As we begin performances in November, we are still subject to restrictions regarding vaccinations, masks and distancing for musicians as well as our audience. We look forward to returning to completely normal conditions sometime soon but will make great music regardless. We may change programing if necessary due to performer masking restrictions removing woodwinds.

This will be a particularly exciting year as we conduct our search to replace our retired Music Director and Conductor Gary Berkson after 12 years of truly exceptional leadership and performances. We have four amazingly talented candidates with the widest diversity in age, experience and background. Each will bring his own style and persona to his performance and we will select our new musical leader at the end of the season, with audience reaction and input being an important element in the ultimate selection.

Our traditional functions will continue with the Youth Orchestra under the direction of Richard Babcock and the Edith Knox Performance Competitions which bring amazing young talent to the stage to showcase their performing excellence. Some of our Knox winners have gone on to professional music and academic careers. We are so fortunate to be able to provide this opportunity for gifted young musicians to gain performance experience and earn prize money with the winner performing with the Peninsula Symphony.

Our volunteers are the heart of the Peninsula Symphony Association organization, without which our wonderful musicians couldn’t perform. We need people to help with organizing and supporting concert nights as ushers, greeters and table staff as well as operational efforts in membership and mailing. Any on the Board can answer your volunteer questions.

I can’t finish my message without reminding you that only your generous contributions make our symphony performances and community outreach possible. We have lost a full year of music and donations and we really need the enthusiastic financial support of our members to keep us on track as we relaunch our interrupted musical odyssey.

Welcome back and bring a friend as we have plenty of seats to enjoy an exceptional year of exciting music.

JOHN WILLIAMS

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

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Since his debut as a piano soloist with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra and the Venezuelan National Philharmonic at age 13, Jorge Luis Uzcátegui has performed concerts in North, Central, South America, Asia, and Europe, with orchestras such as the Valencia Symphony. His interpretation of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is the soundtrack in El Cerrito, an award-winning documentary for the History Channel.

Mr. Uzcátegui won top prizes at the Wise Conducting Competition in Los Ángeles, the Debut Hamburg International Conducting Competition and at the Paraná Symphony International Conducting Competition, obtaining unanimous votes from the jury and all orchestra members. He also received the Accademia Musicale Chigiana Conducting Prize. Other conductors that have received such an honor include Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Metha, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Carlo Maria Giulini.

Mr. Uzcátegui has conducted members from distinguished orchestras such as the Berlin Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Frankfurt Opera, Rotterdam Philharmonic, BBC Symphony, São Paolo Symphony, Boston Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and the LA Philharmonic. His 2018-19 season included engagements in Finland, Hungary, Serbia, Paraguay and Germany.

As assistant conductor of the Spokane Symphony, Mr. Uzcátegui has conducted over 30 concerts per season. These include collaborations with Grammy Award-winning artists Judy Collins, Patti Austin, Indigo Girls, Steep Canyon Rangers; Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Ballet with Santa Barbara’s State Street Ballet; Labor Day concerts; conducting the original score live to movies like Psycho, City Lights; The Phantom of the Opera partnerships with local theater and breweries, indie-rock bands, the Spokane Tribe of Indians; and all-education concerts including Carnegie Hall’s Link-Up, Music Fest Northwest Young Artist and Music Innovates performances.

In the LA area, Mr. Uzcátegui has been music director of multiple orchestras, leading his ensembles in concert tours to France, Austria, Germany and Taiwan. He is currently conductor of the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra, music director of the Pacific Academy Foundation Orchestra and has served as preparatory conductor for the Colburn Conservatory Orchestra. He is also artistic director of Music to Save Humanity, a non-profit organization that brings world-renowned musicians to tangibly transform communities in all corners of the world.

Mr. Uzcátegui’s teachers and mentors include conductors Gustavo Dudamel, Kurt Masur, Neal Stulberg, Donald Neuen, Daisuke Soga and Gianluigi Gelmetti. Gustavo Dudamel said, “Maestro Uzcátegui is a young Venezuelan conductor with the highest academic education and artistic ability.” Maestro José Antonio Abreu, founder and director of El Sistema said, “Jorge Luis Uzcátegui is one of the most outstanding figures of the new musical generation in our country.” The President of Venezuela bestowed Uzcátegui with the José FelixRibas Order and the General Juan Manuel Valdez Order for his achievements as an artist.

JORGE LUIS UZCÁTEGUI

JORGE LUIS UZCÁTEGUI

GUEST CONDUCTOR – CONCERT I

IN MEMORIAM

GEORGE BENDER 1932-2020MEMBER, PENINSULA SYMPHONY

BOARD of DIRECTORS and ASSOCIATION 2017-2018

Andrew Shulman, the first British musician to win the prestigious Piatigorsky Artist Award, comes from London, England. He has performed extensively throughout Western and Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, North and South America, Asia, the Far East and Australasia. As conductor, he has led the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Haydn Chamber Orchestra (London), the Britten-Pears Orchestra (Aldeburgh), the Brandon Hill Chamber Orchestra (Bristol), the Saloman Orchestra (London), the Jonkoping Orchestra (Sweden), the Ambache Chamber Orchestra (London), the Leicester Symphony Orchestra (England) and the Hertfordshire Philharmonic Orchestra (England).

In his professorial role, his talents as an orchestral trainer have been utilized by such institutions as the Royal College of Music Symphony Orchestra (London), the Royal College of Music Chamber Orchestra (London), the Royal College of Music String Ensemble (London), the USC Symphony and Chamber Orchestras (Los Angeles) the University of Leicester Symphony Orchestra, the Norfolk and Norwich Youth Orchestra, the Guildhall School of Music Symphony and Chamber Orchestras (London) and the Ulster Youth Orchestra (Ireland).

In the field of opera, he has conducted Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro and Cosi Fan Tutte in highly successful new productions at the Theatre Royal, Bristol, England. He has also conducted many successful concerto performances with artists such as Thomas Bowes, Roberto Cani, Colin Carr, Raphael Wallfisch, Bernard D’Ascoli, Tereza Stanislav and Elizabeth Layton.

Mr. Shulman’s extensive experience as conductor, soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and college professor is unique. As cellist, Shulman has performed all the major cello concertos with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and orchestras all over Europe and the Far East, as well as giving recitals in such places as the Wigmore Hall, London, the Royal Palace in Stockholm and Buckingham Palace, London. He has also performed Strauss’ great tone poem Don Quixote twice at the Royal Festival Hall, London (with Sir Simon Rattle) and the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles (with Esa-Pekka Salonen). He has directed the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the London Chamber Orchestra and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in concerto performances from the solo cello chair.

Since making his home in the Santa Monica Mountains he has given many masterclasses, among them those at the University of Southern California (where he is a professor), UCLA, the Corwin Awards Masterclasses, MTAC and has appeared at many international summer festivals, including Aspen, La Jolla, Edinburgh, Bath, Cambridge, Cheltenham, City of London, Mainly Mozart, Ojai, Las Vegas, Blue Mountain, Kuhmo, Sonoma, Lucerne and Salzburg.

ANDREW SHULMAN

ANDREW SHULMAN

GUEST CONDUCTOR – CONCERT II

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American conductor, Anthony Parnther, is the Music Director and Conductor of the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and the Southeast Symphony & Chorus in Los Angeles. He also serves as the Artistic Director of Musicians at Play and as Resident Conductor of the newly established Orchestra US.

Mr. Parnther has conducted artists spanning every musical genre including Joshua Bell, Jessye Norman, Yundi Li, Lynn Harrell, Frederica von Stade, Roderick Williams, The Canadian Brass, Jennifer Holliday, Kanye West, Imagine Dragons, Omar Apollo and Alan Walker. Recent guest conducting engagements include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Chineke! Orchestra, Simfònica de Barcelona I Nacional de Catalunya, Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Eugene Symphony, Toledo Symphony, Hear Now Music Festival, BrightworkNewMusic, UCLA Philharmonia, the Pittsburgh Microtonal Festival, Hollywood Chamber Orchestra and the World Opera Forum in Madrid, Spain.

Over the last decade, Mr. Parnther has conducted the Hollywood Studio Symphony on top film, television, and video game recordings in the world. This includes Star Wars: The Mandalorian, Tenet, Little, The Hunt, Fargo, The Way Back, The Night Of, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and League of Legends. He has conducted orchestras internationally in live film concerts, particularly the scores of John Williams, Ludwig Goransson, Michael Giacchino and Jerry Goldsmith. His live orchestral concert appearances for Riot Games’ League of Legends in Barcelona, Beijing, Seoul and Los Angeles are among the most viewed symphonic concerts in the world.

Recognized as a leading authority on orchestral works by minority and women composers, Mr. Parnther has restored and performed orchestral works by Florence Price, Zenobia Powell Perry, George Walker, Margaret Bonds, William Grant Still, Duke Ellington and Samuel Coleridge Taylor. He has given premieres of works by Errollyn Wallen, John Wineglass, Gary Powell Nash and Marian Harrison. He has commissioned, premiered and recorded works by sixty living Black composers such as Renee Baker, James Wilson, Phillip Herbert, Daniel Kidane, Chanda Dancy and James Newton. He was profiled by Los Angeles’ KCET/TV as a “Local Hero” in 2015 for his extensive community outreach and advocacy for the performance of works by Black, Latino and Women artists.

Mr. Parnther studied music performance at Northwestern University and continued his musical studies at Yale University where he studied orchestral conducting with Lawrence Leighton Smith and Otto Werner Mueller. In addition, he studied applied voice and choral conducting with Thomas Jenrette and wind conducting with Roxanne Haskill, the retired director of the Marine Corps Music Program. He also received guidance and inspiration from Cliff Colnot, David Webb, Lafe Cook, W. Francis McBeth and Frank Battisti. Mr. Parnther resides in Los Angeles and Palm Springs.

ANTHONY PARNTHER

ANTHONY PARNTHER

GUEST CONDUCTOR – CONCERT III

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David Cubek has been the director of the Claremont Concert Orchestra of Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges since 2010. He also serves as Assistant Conductor of the Pasadena Symphony, Conductor of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestra Philharmonic and Conductor of new music ensemble Fonema Consort. In addition to being passionate about conducting and teaching, he is a firm believer in the power of music to foster social change. Mr. Cubek has conducted various ensembles from Venezuela’s admired music education program known as El Sistema, including the internationally recognized Teresa Carreño and Simón Bolívar symphony orchestras. El Sistema aims not only to create great musicians, but also to dramatically change the life trajectory of a children in need. In the United States, Mr. Cubek has also collaborated with El Sistema-inspired programs such as YOLA (Los Angeles), OrchKids (Baltimore) and Harmony Program (NYC).

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Mr. Cubek began private piano and composition lessons at the age of 7 before entering the Simón Bolívar Conservatory. In 1999, he moved to Montreal to continue his music education, studying piano and music theory at McGill University and orchestral conducting at the Conservatory of Montreal. At the latter institution, he was awarded First Prize with Great Distinction in orchestral conducting. Mr. Cubek completed his doctoral studies in orchestral conducting at Northwestern University, where he served as assistant and guest conductor of the opera program and the Chamber and Symphony Orchestras. He was music director of the University of Chicago Chamber Orchestra and a lecturer in music theory at both Northwestern and McGill. In addition, Mr. Cubek has led ensembles in Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Ecuador, Italy, Mexico and Ukraine. In California, recent engagements include guest appearances with the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and the Eastern Sierra Symphony (Mammoth Lakes).

A recipient of Scripps College’s Mary W. Johnson Award for excellence in teaching, Mr. Cubek is an enthusiastic advocate of new music. At the Claremont Colleges, he regularly teaches classes based on 20th- and 21st-century repertoires. As conductor of Fonema Consort, he sustains an active international concert schedule focused on premiering new compositions.

DAVID CUBEK

DAVID CUBEK

GUEST CONDUCTOR – CONCERT IV

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Thank you MAESTRO BERKSON—for your 13 years of providing outstanding music and developing our Orchestra so beautifully.

Our best to you and Anika in retirement!

CAROL & ROGER SCHAMP

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GARY BERKSON

GUEST CONDUCTOR – CONCERT V

Gary Berkson has been the Musical Director and Conductor for the Peninsula Symphony for the past 12 years, 2009 - 2021. He was also the Musical Director for the Desert Symphony in Palm Springs for 10 years. Previously, he had served as Resident Conductor of the Royal Swedish Ballet and Royal Swedish Opera as well as Principal Conductor of the Gothenburg opera house “Stora Teatern” where he was also Artistic Advisor. In addition, he served ten years as Head of the Opera Division at the Royal Swedish Opera House.

Gary Berkson is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music in New York. He is best known for his work as a conductor in the theatre, appearing with companies like the Dutch National Ballet, the Nederlands Dans Theater I & II, Hamburg Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Finnish National Ballet and in the operatic field with the Greater Miami Opera, Chattanooga Opera, Royal Swedish Opera, Malmö Opera och Musikteater and at international music festivals in the United States, Germany, Bulgaria and Norway conducting operas and ballets ranging from the traditional to the contemporary as well as musicals and operettas. He has conducted the world premières of works by Per Nørgaard, Hans Gefors, Arne Mellnäs, Thomas Jennefelt, Lars Johan Werle, Diego Dall’Osto, Ian McQueen, as well as the Bulgarian première of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande and the Swedish premières of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide (Opera House Version) and Peter Maxwell Davies’ Taverner. He has worked closely with such choreographers as Jiri Kylian, Glenn Tetley, Birgit Cullberg, Patrice Bart, Hans van Manen, John Neumeier, Ted Brandsen, Christopher Hampson, Wayne Eagling, Jacopo Godani and Krzysztof Pastor as well as conducting ballets from the repertoire of George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Frederick Ashton, Maurice Béjart, Jerome Robbins, Nils Christie, José Limón, William Forsythe among many others.

Mr. Berkson has appeared with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Swedish Court Orchestra, Sophia Philharmonic, Orquesta Sinfonica de Bilbao, Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, Holland Symfonia, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony and Malmö Symphony Orchestra; orchestras he has conducted in North America include the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, Evansville Philharmonic, Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra and the San Antonio Symphony.

Mr. Berkson has had the honor of conducting for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip of Great Britain, King Carl XVI Gustav and Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands as well as the Presidents and Prime Ministers of many European countries.

Gary Berkson was selected as one of one hundred alumni to be featured in “Dance, Drama, Music: 100 Years of the Juilliard School” published in celebration of its centenary.

Mr. Berkson is the guest conductor for the July Pops Concert, Masters of Movie Music.

GARY BERKSON

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SOLOISTSSOLOISTS

QUENTON BLACHE

Quenton Xavier Blache is a cellist and composer based in Los Angeles where he is a rising junior at the University of Southern California (USC) Thornton School of Music. He is a double major in cello performance and music composition, with a minor in Chinese. He was born in San Diego, California and currently lives in Wake Forest, North Carolina. Mr. Blache won first place in the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Talent Hunt Competition in 2017 and 2018. He has performed in Europe, Asia and at Carnegie Hall as a member of the National Youth Orchestra USA. In 2021, he won the USC Bach Competition, Undergraduate Division. He served as a cello hand double and background musician actor in the 2020 Amazon Prime movie Nocturne, produced by Blumhouse Productions. He will tour nationally with the Sphinx Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra in October 2021.

In 2019, Mr. Blache’s composition for string quartet, Hunted, was performed in a masterclass with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw. He is especially passionate about composition for visual media and has scored for the Vanuatu documentary, No Part Too Small (2020). Mr. Blache is also the composer for the “Resilience Project,” a climate change “art-ivist” performance series that is a part of the inaugural USC Arts and Climate Collective.

Mr. Blache has studied composition under Grammy Award winning composer Andrew Norman and Grammy Award nominated composer Ted Hearne. He currently studies cello under accomplished cellist Andrew Shulman. In his spare time, he enjoys playing chess and aspires to be an International Master (IM).

QUENTON BLACHE

ROB SCHAER

Rob Schaer is a freelance trumpet performer in the Los Angeles area. His father was a musician and introduced Mr. Schaer to a variety of music. He began performing on the streets of Disney World in Orlando, Florida when he was only 17 years old. He continued working at Disney World while finishing a bachelor’s degree in trumpet from the University of Central Florida, studying with John Almeida. Mr. Schaer recently finished a master’s degree and Doctorate in Musical Arts from the University of Southern California, studying with Boyde Hood. He has been influenced by many great teachers including Charlie Davis, Wayne Bergeron, Don Green and Bobby Shew.

To date, Rob Schaer has many recording credits to his name, including several big band albums and television/motion picture soundtracks. He has had the privilege of performing and/or recording with a wide variety of artists such as John Williams, Paul Anka, Patti Austin, Frankie Valli, Outkast, The Offspring, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennet, Steve Miller, Brian Culbertson, Frank Sinatra, Jr., The Henry Mancini Institute, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, The Los Angeles Philharmonic with Esa-Pekka Salonen, The GRAMMY Awards and many others.

His experience with Magic of Orlando and the Santa Clara Vanguard Drum and Bugle Corps has helped to develop a career as a composer/arranger and clinician for some of the top high school marching bands in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New York, Texas and California.

ROB SCHAER

MI-HYUN SUH

Mi-Hyun Suh, 17-year old pianist, attends Diamond Bar High School in Rowland Heights, California. She began studying piano at age 5 and is currently under the tutelage of Rufus Choi.

Ms. Suh has received many accolades at numerous competitions. When she was 13, she won the Diamond Bar/ Orange County MTAC Theme Festival. She was the first prize winner of the Korean times music Competition and the CAPMT Concerto Competition. She was also the winner of the Diamond Bar High School concerto competition, the MTAC OC Concerto Competition and the Edith Knox Performance Competition. She has appeared as soloist with the Diamond Bar High School Symphony Orchestra. More recently she was named a National Young Arts winner and a semifinalist for both the 2020 and 2021 Music Center’s Spotlight Program. She is a laureate of the Radda Rise International Piano Competition, the Odin International Music Competition, the Citla di Massa International Music Competition, the Euregio Piano Competition and the Los Angeles International Competition.

She has received masterclasses from Grace Fong, David Lisker, Oxana Yablonskaya, Daniel Lessner, Lucinda Carver, Ory Shihor and Reiko Aizawa, as well as private instruction from Christopher O’Riley and Ick Choo Moon. In addition to playing the piano, Ms. Suh is a talented flute player, having won first prize at the LANSUM International competition and at the Southwestern Youth Music Festival.

In the future, Suh hopes to attend a top music conservatory and pursue a career as a piano performer, teacher and college faculty member. “I do music to share the beauty of it with other people,” she said.

MI-HYUN SUH

ERIKA UZCA

Erica UzCa made her debut as soloist in Los Ángeles at the age of 11. Since then, her solo performances include the St. Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra in Russia, the Kiev Fantastic Orchestra and the Kiev Lyatoshynsky Ensemble in Ukraine, the Asunción Symphony in Paraguay, and the Bacchanalia Chamber Orchestra in New York City. Upcoming solo engagements include a 10-city concert tour in Venezuela.

Ms. UzCa performed at the TED Summit 2016 commemorating the life of Prince. She was soloist for a concert at the Skirball Museum honoring Albert Einstein. She is a soloist in “The Staff of Mercury,” a documentary about the healing power of music.

She was awarded 1st Prize at the Burgos International Competition, the Pittsburgh Concert Society Major Artist Audition and the Summit Music Festival International Competition. She has played concertmaster under conductors Leon Fleisher, Gerard Schwarz, Joseph Silverstein, Rob Kapilow, Ian Hobson, Andrés Cárdenes, Brad Keimach, Eckart Preu, Morihiko Nakahara, Jorge Luis Uzcátegui and is currently Associate Concertmaster of the Spokane Symphony.

Ms. UzCa is Artistic Coordinator and Teaching Artist for Music Innovates, a program modeled after Venezuela’s El Sistema, joining the Spokane Symphony and Spokane Public Schools to provide free classical music instruction to underprivileged students. She has conducted master classes for the Carnegie Mellon Pre-College Division and Meet the Maestro in Pittsburgh, and for Sonidos de la Tierra in Paraguay. She also holds her own studio of private students. Ms. Uzca plays on a 1716 Carlo Tononi violin generously provided by anonymous donors.

ERIKA UZCA

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MEMBERSHIP

The Peninsula Symphony exists through the generous support of our members and we sincerely thank you. We provide quality music to the community with no admission charge, but these concerts and performances are not free to produce. Individual memberships are the largest source of income for the symphony and we could not continue without this loyal support. If you are not presently a member, please consider joining the Peninsula Symphony family and make the orchestra truly your own.

Memberships range from Contributor up to the Virtuoso level. Each of these levels has an increasing set of “perks” ranging from early admission at each concert to reserved seats and parking spaces. Regardless of level, members say that the most important perk is that all members receive early admission. This allows our concertgoers to listen to the enlightening, imaginative and perceptive pre-concert lectures presented by our guest conductors.

The Peninsula Symphony is a non-profit organization and your membership is fully tax-deductible. You may also be eligible for your employer’s matching gift program which could move your membership into a higher bracket.

We welcome all music lovers who share a desire to support community-based, high-quality orchestral performances. To join, visit the membership table in the lobby during concerts or make your contributions online at www.pensym.org. While online, you can choose to spread your contribution over 12 monthly payments starting at as little as seven dollars. You may also enroll by calling the Peninsula Symphony office at 310-544-0320, or to get answers to your questions.

All members will be recognized in the program book (or in program supplements if donations are received after the printing deadline).

STUDENT ($10) Subscription to Symphony Sounds newsletter Early admission to the pre-concert lectures Recognition in the Program Book

CONTRIBUTOR ($75 – $149) Subscription to Symphony Sounds newsletter Early admission to the pre-concert lectures Recognition in the Program Book

PATRON ($150 – $249) all above, plus:

Preferred seating Center-front seating section (unreserved seats) Unlimited guest passes

SPONSOR ($250 – $499) all above, plus:

Invitation to a private reception in conjunction with the first concert

FOUNDER ($500 – $999) all above, plus:

Invitation to a special evening musical event

BENEFACTOR ($1,000 – $1,999) all above, plus:

Two reserved seats of choice at all concerts Private invitation to the Edith Knox Competition

Preliminaries

CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE ($2,000 – $4,999) all above, plus:

Special VIP reserved parking closest to the main entrance

VIRTUOSO ($5,000 +) all above, plus:

An additional VIP reserved parking space closest to the main entrance

Two additional reserved seats of choice at all concerts

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

The Peninsula Symphony is one of the few remaining community orchestras in California offering free public concerts. As each concert costs an average of $25,000 to produce, the Peninsula Symphony Association board is continually seeking funding to support each performance.

Membership provides over 43% of our annual budget. We are grateful for those who join the Symphony and to our members who renew their Symphony memberships or increase their member levels.

Our second-largest funding amount comes from gifts and grants from individuals, foundations, organizations, corporations, and public agencies. We have been fortunate to have many community members who have made generous donations, beyond their membership, to support our concerts. Several of our supporting grants have been renewed for multiple years. Some of these supporters are listed in the box to the right.

The Peninsula Association Events Committee organized our fund-raising events in past seasons, providing opportunities for Association members to socialize while supporting the orchestra.

Over 10% of our funding comes from our Program Book advertisers. Please give these ads your attention and patronize these generous businesses. And make it a point to thank our advertisers for their support.

SYMPHONY SUPPORT

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT

KENNETH T. & EILEEN NORRIS FOUNDATION

LOS ANGELES COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS/ COUNTY ARTS COMMISSION

THE MOCA FOUNDATION

PALOS VERDES WOMEN’S CLUB

The Peninsula Symphony’s concerts are also generously supported by the Recording Industry’s

Music Performance Trust Fund.

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VIRTUOSO

Ken and Anita Gash

Dorothy and Allen Lay

CONDUCTORS CIRCLE

Jeanette Betts

David and Ann Buxton

In Memory of Dr. Suzanne Gemmel

Marilyn Litvak

Carol and Roger Schamp

Shlens Family

Jack and Midge Trost

John Williams

Dr. Richard and Janet Yamamoto

Lawrence and Terri Zinkiewicz

BENEFACTOR

Barbara Carlson

Tom Casey and Bev Lovelace

FOUNDER

Harold and Marcia Avent

Jeremy and Pippa Davies

Richard and Eileen Garson

Ramona Gifford

Nancy Mahr

Lois McFarland

Dency and Moira Nelson

Robert and Helene Reid

Betty Reider

Rachel (Bunne) Renhult

Erv and Alberta Samuelson, MD

Marcella and Richard Schott

Mr. Kenneth and Harriet Servis

FOUNDER (cont.)

Elaine Trotter and John L. Williams

David Witherspoon and Lenita McCallum

SPONSOR

Lydia W. and Jerry B. Brady

Norma and Jack Burns

David and Janice Ann Champion

Duane Conover

Jacqueline Crowley

Anne and Ray Destabelle

Cindy and Dennis Eggert

John D. and Gretchen Elg

Theodora Greenwald

Ann Harrington

Derek and Mary Ann Kendall

Phillip and Jacqueline Metzger

Thomas Nairne

Dan and Judy Platus

Peter Rumsey

Lynn and Phil Solomita

Dr. Kouichi R. and Grace Tanaka

Evalee Weiss

PATRON

Larry and Sue Andrews

Dr.'s Keith and Muoi Arnold

Verna Balch

Pamela A. Bleich

Claudette and Janet Bowie

Walter Christmas

Joan and Keith Davidson

Lee W. Dorsey

Logan Douglas and Kathlyn Coffey

2O2O – 2O21 MEMBERS

AS OF OCTOBER 6, 2021

PATRON (cont.)

Betty Dunnett

Bruce Erickson and June Sung

Jacqueline Godo Kiss

Rosalind Lee

David and Betty Murphy

Karol and Bob Plocky

Shelley and Ben Pogorelsky

Janos Porszasz

Diane Sharp

Kyung and Hoon Song

CONTRIBUTOR

Barrie and Isa Anderson

Terry A. and Dorris Bass

Wes and Judy BradfordF

Noël Castle

Maymie Chenoweth

CONTRIBUTOR (cont.)

Howard Darvey

Louise and Marrie Davidson

Roger Eastman

Jack I. Esensten

Joon Sung Jun

Sigma Alpha Iota-Long Beach Chapter

Dennis Marconi

Teresa Rosales

Bruce and Cynthia Smith

Susan Tyree

Janice and Douglas Wheeler

Kathleen A. Whiting

La Vonne Wuertz

2O2O – 2O21 MEMBERS

AS OF OCTOBER 6, 2021

A passionate Gary Berkson at one of his many informative and captivating pre-concert lectures. An intimate musical evening provided for special donors.

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What does it take to play the timpani? According to Peninsula Symphony timpanist Kris Mettala, it’s not a hard instrument to play, but it’s more than hitting a drum with a stick. “Every time you hit the drum, it makes a pitch; it’s not just a thud,” Kris said in an interview recently. “You may start out with two or three drums with a set number of pitches, say an F, C, and D. You may play for a while and then have a rest for several measures, and while the orchestra plays on, you have to change the pitches so quietly that no one in the audience or the orchestra can hear it. I’ll pluck it and put my ear down and listen.”

Although Kris does not have absolute pitch, he has developed a good musical ear. “I was doing a piece by 20th century composer Béla Bartok, his Concerto for Orchestra.” Kris

recalled. “There’s a movement (the second) in which strings play a lovely melody accompanied by timpani and harp. Not only does the timpanist have to play in tune with the harp, but every note is different. It’s a piece you play if you’re looking for a job with another orchestra; it’s an audition piece.”

At one concert featuring this symphony, and unbeknownst to Kris, the pre-concert lecturer told the audience to listen carefully to the slow movement with the timpani and harp and pay particular attention to the timpanist. “He has to change the pitch after every single strike he makes,” he informed the audience. “It’s one of the hardest parts in the literature.”

“If somebody had told me he was going to say that, I’d have been a nervous wreck because I’d have known that everyone would have been watching me. Fortunately, I didn’t know until it was all over, and I almost had a heart attack in reverse.”

Although there are solo parts for timpani in chamber music,

Philip Glass is one of the few who has composed a concerto for two timpani and full orchestra. “It’s a pretty hard piece, and I don’t think it’s all that good.” Kris said. “A friend of mine knows those parts and gets called to play it.”

The timpani dates back to the Greeks and Egyptians. In Europe they were used by the military, two drums, each mounted on the side of the horse behind the neck. The drums then had only a high and a low pitch. When the timpani were brought into concert halls, the copper bowls were put on tripods and the calf-skin “heads” were tightened or loosened with a T-handle or a mechanical foot-pedal to achieve different pitches. Today, the pitch can also be changed visually with a pointer that moves along a crescent to show how much to move the pedal.

Kris grew up in Altadena and earned a BA in art and music

Kris Mettala, timpanist for the Peninsula Symphony, credits his mother's family for his musical genes.

KRIS METTALA: THE LIFE OF A MODERN-DAY TIMPANIST

BY KARI SAYERS

If somebody had told me he was going to say that, I'd have been a nervous wreck because I'd have known everyone would

have been watching me.”

at California State University, Northridge. Finnish on his father’s side (Mettala is a small town in Finland), Kris credits his mother’s English family for his musical genes. “She came over as a war bride to the cold and snowy upper peninsula of Michigan,” Kris said. But the family didn’t stay there long and moved to Southern California where Mettala senior landed a job in the aerospace industry. Although his mother sang and his father played the ukulele only for fun, several uncles and aunts made music their careers. One uncle was a conductor of a cruise ship orchestra back in England but ended up in Hollywood as a studio musician. “He had a very distinctive look and was cast in many scenes as a gypsy violinist,” Kris said. “He would stand a few paces away from lead actors such as Tyrone Power and Maureen O’Sullivan and play his songs to accompany their discussions.” All in all, he appeared in 20-30 movies.

Kris’s English aunt was the family piano teacher, so everyone had to take piano lessons from her. His older brother played and still plays the guitar and likes rock’n roll and Kris talked his mother into letting him quit piano and play percussion instead. “I play all the percussions” Kris said: “snare drums cymbals, triangles, the bass drum, orchestra bells and chimes, keyboard percussions like the xylophone and the marimba.” He has played percussion with the Peninsula Symphony since he was in college. When former timpanist William Gazetto retired and moved to Arizona 20 years ago, Kris became the orchestra’s timpanist.

While many artists have to supplement their income working other jobs, as a union player, Kris, now age 65, devotes his entire time to playing the timpani. He also plays regularly with other orchestras such as the Riverside Philharmonic, the Long Beach and the New West symphonies. He has played with the Torrance Symphony and other orchestras directed by Frank Fetta in addition to ethnic orchestras such as the

Vietnamese American Philharmonic, the Japanese American Philharmonic, and the Inglewood Symphony with primarily Black players. “They want to make sure they have as many Vietnamese, Japanese, or Black players because the orchestras are funded by these communities, but when they run out, they will hire other players,” Kris said.

For the past twelve years, he has also played with the well-known blind Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli when he’s in Southern California. “He may do a concert at the Kodak Theater on a Friday,” Kris said. “Then the same concert at the Honda Center in Anaheim on Saturday and a third concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with 17,000 seats on Sunday.”

During the pandemic, Kris helped organize online concerts to be streamed for a paying audience. He had to find a stage big enough to seat 20 to 30 all-union players. They all had to sit six feet apart and, except for the brass and woodwinds, all had to wear masks. “I had to learn a whole new set of contracts and fill in the paperwork. I’m glad we’re going back to regular concerts.”

Kris lives in his childhood home that he inherited from his parents. In his spare time before the pandemic, he enjoyed square dancing with his long-time lady friend.

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EDITH KNOX YOUNG ARTISTS PERFORMANCE COMPETITION

The Peninsula Symphony Association sponsors and organizes the annual Edith Knox Young Artists Performance Competition that features outstanding young musicians from the Southern California area. They compete for prize money and the opportunity to perform as soloist with the symphony at one of its concerts and a solo recital in Torrance sponsored by Classical Crossroads, Inc. Entrants perform a concerto in its entirety or other work for solo instrument and orchestra from the standard repertoire that is equivalent in terms of difficulty and length.

Mi-Hyun Suh, then a 16 year-old Rowland Heights pianist, was the first-place winner of the 2020 competition. Due to the coronavirus, her June 2020 performance of Chopin’s Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra in F minor, Opus 21 was postponed to the 2021-2022 season. Suh is currently a student of Professor Kevin Fitz-Gerald at USC. Mi-Hyun has been the first prize winner of the Korean Times Children’s Music Competition, the MTAC OC Theme Festival, the CAPMT Concerto Competition and has been awarded other numerous prizes from different organizations. She is also a 2020 National Young Arts winner, a semifinalist for the 2020 Music Center’s Spotlight Program and a semifinalist for the 2020 West Virginia International Piano Competition. She has soloed with the Diamond Bar High School Symphony Orchestra and the Orange County Symphony Orchestra. Mi-Hyun is also an active chamber musician. She enjoys playing the flute and has received top prizes from the Lansum International Competition, Junior Bach Festival and SYMF Young Artists Competition. During the 2016-17 orchestra season, she performed as soloist with the Claremont Young Musicians Orchestra. Outside of music, Mi-Hyun enjoys studying and analyzing English literature as well as occasional photography and drawing. She has also done Korean traditional folk dancing and was a member of the Korean American Young Artists Choir and California Children’s Choir.

The Knox winner also plays a solo recital in Classical Crossroads’ First Fridays at First! concert series. The 2022 competition winner will be featured in recital on June 3, 2022. The winner’s solo performance with the Peninsula Symphony is planned for the 2022-2023 season.

The 2022 Knox competition finals are scheduled for Sunday,

February 27, 2022 at 2:00pm at the Redondo Union High School Auditorium. They are open to the public. Admission and parking are free. We encourage all of you to attend and support these wonderful young musicians.

We rely on donations to help defray costs of the competition, such as for prizes, judges, the concert venue and piano rental. Contributions will be recognized in the competition finals program booklet and in next year’s Peninsula Symphony program book. Please visit our website at www.pensym.org or contact the Peninsula Symphony office at 310-544-0320 for more information. We thank the following individuals for their contributions to the 2020 competition:

Angel Donors: ($1,000+) Dorothy and Allen Lay

Angel Donors: ($500 – $999) Marylyn & Chuck Klaus, Roger & Carol Schamp, Terri & Larry Zinkiewicz

Other Angel Donors: Betty Belsky, Lee Dorsey, June Sung & Bruce Erickson, Mona Gifford, Bob & Helene Reid, Marion Ruth, Lilli Tom, Jack & Midge Trost

Other costs are underwritten by the Edith Knox and Horowitz funds.

TERRI AND LARRY ZINKIEWICZ

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The Youth Orchestra is sponsored jointly by the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Harbor College. It is offered as a Harbor College Extended Education course and is open to musicians age 18 and younger. The PSYO-LAHC provides the opportunity for young musicians to play in a high-caliber ensemble. The group rehearses and performs a generous assortment of musical material. The public is invited to attend Youth Orchestra concerts on the Harbor College campus. For information on the concert schedule, call the Peninsula Symphony Association office at 310-544-0320.

Richard Babcock is the Music Director of the Peninsula Youth Symphony Orchestra. Also, he is Music Director of the Peninsula Symphonic Winds, and Director of Orchestras for Chadwick School in Palos Verdes.

He holds a Master of Fine Arts from the California Institute of the Arts, and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Utah.

YOUTH ORCHESTRA

Gary Berkson retired from the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra in June 2021. As we say goodbye, we are grateful for his years of service, his outstanding programming and enlightening pre-concert lectures.

Gary Berkson was the second Musical Director and Conductor of the Peninsula Symphony Association and Orchestra, following the long tenure of founding Conductor Joe Valenti. He was a finalist in the search for a new conductor and was selected to lead the orchestra in 2009.

Over his twelve years with the Peninsula Symphony, Berkson has led the orchestra and its audience in both familiar and new musical paths. Performances presented 147 different works, repeating only Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Concerts featured 74 composers from 20 countries: Japan, Mexico, Wales, Nigeria, Venezuela, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Switzerland, Russia, France, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Germany, England, Czechoslovakia, Spain and USA – with 19 performances by American composers. 88 selections were

performed by the orchestra for the first time. Audience favorites – Brahms, Mozart and Beethoven – were the top three composers.

Soloists included women’s chorus, piano trio, wind quartet, harp, guitar, narrator, violin/viola duo, flute, clarinet, mezzo-soprano, baritone, piano duo, violin, viola, cello, piano, bassoon, 2 young actors and pre-recorded whale song.

Periodically, Berkson included members of the Peninsula Symphony Orchestra/Los Angeles Harbor College Youth Orchestra. Now, we look forward to his guest conductor performance at the Pops Concert in July 2022.

THANK YOU GARY BERKSON

PENINSULA SYMPHONY BOARD

Past (and present) Presidents of the Peninsula Symphony: (l-r) John Williams (current), John Copper, Jackie Crowley, Larry Andrews, Ken Gash

OFFICERS

President .................................................. John Williams Past President .................................................. Ken Gash Executive Vice President ........................Terri Zinkiewicz Secretary .................................................. Faye Schwartz Treasurer ................................................ Bruce Erickson

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Artistic Committee .......................................... Ken Gash Community Relations ............................ Sophia Momand Concerts ................................................. Bruce Erickson Education ..............................................Eugene McAdoo Facilities ......................................................... Jack Trost Gifts and Grants ................................... Larry Zinkiewicz Knox Competition ....................Larry & Terri Zinkiewicz Membership ........................................................... TBD Program Book Ads ....................................Jackie Crowley Receptions ................................................. Marion Ruth Volunteer Coordinator ............................. Bruce Erickson Webmaster .............................................. Bruce Erickson

DIRECTORS

Duane Conover Mona Gifford

Joon Sung Jun Helene Reid

Carol Schamp June Sung Janet Yamamoto

ADVISORY BOARD

Laurie Anderson Larry Andrews Betty Belsky Dianne Bishop Virginia Butler Wally Christmas Chuck Klaus Dale Korman

Dorothy Lay Nancy Mahr D. Paul Nibarger Bill Pomeranz June Schwarzmann Lili Tom

Top Left: 2020 Knox Competition winner Mi-Hyun Suh and her accompanist Naomi Sumitani.

Top Right: Gene McAdoo, Jane Jones and Jim Jones discuss the concert.

Middle Left: Concertgoers gather in the auditorium foyer during intermission.

Middle Right: Terri Zinkiewicz introduces guest artist Rufus Choi at a fundraiser at David and Lenita Witherspoon’s home in 2019.

Bottom Left: Gary Berkson at his first official concert as Conductor and Musical Director in 2009.

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Annie's Boutique ..................................................................................................................20

Benning Violins .....................................................................................................................20

Berkshire Hathaway – Gustavo Cardenas ...............................................................................14

Butler/Fishman Properties ............................................................................Inside Back Cover

Canterbury, The ..................................................................................................... Back Cover

designEDGE ........................................................................................................................16

Diane Flick, Fine Artist.........................................................................................................10

Giorgio’s Restaurant .............................................................................................................25

Malaga Bank ...........................................................................................................................8

Miraleste Automotive Service ................................................................................................10

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney ......................................................................Inside Front Cover

Palos Verdes Sunset Rotary ....................................................................................................14

Pete's Autohaus ....................................................................................................................12

Re/Max – Jackie Crowley .....................................................................................................25

Richard Sherman Trio ...........................................................................................................25

Ruth Realty ..........................................................................................................................14

Schamp, Carol & Robert .......................................................................................................14

South Bay Bridge Club ............................................................................................................6

South Bay Hearing ........................................................................................Inside Back Cover

State Farm – Suzy Zimmerman ..............................................................................................10

Steinberg, Thelma and Phil ...................................................................................................12

Terranea Resort ......................................................................................................................4

W's China Bistro ..................................................................................................................16

In Memoriam - George Bender ................................................................................................8

In Memoriam - Michael Harrison ............................................................................................8

ADVERTISERS INDEX

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