Ode to Joy! – Beethoven’s Ninth & Special Guest Jan Lisiecki

Daniel Raiskin, conductor
Jan Lisiecki, piano
Marie-Josée Lord, soprano
Catherine Daniel, mezzo-soprano
Charles Reid, tenor
Michael Nyby, baritone
CMU Festival Chorus, with Dr. Janet Brenneman, artistic director

Frédéric Chopin (1810 -1849): Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor for Piano & Orchestra, op.11

Allegro maestoso
  Romanze: Larghetto
  Rondo: Vivace

– Intermission –

Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827): Symphony No. 9 in D minor, op.125, “Choral”

  Allegro ma non troppo; un poco maestoso
  Molto vivace – Presto – Molto vivace
  Adagio molto e cantabile
  Finale, with soloists and chorus:
    Presto – Allegro ma non troppo – Vivace –
    Adagio cantabile – Allegro – Allegro assai
    Presto – Allegro assai – Allegro assai vivace

Concert Sponsored by:

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Beethoven: Symphony No. 9: Ode to Joy

O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!
Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen,
und freudenvollere.
Freude! (men’s chorus: Freude!)
Freude! (chorus again: Freude!)
Freude, schöner Götterfunken*
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder,
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. 

Wem der große Wurf gelungen,
Eines Freundes Freund zu sein;
Wer ein holdes Weib errungen,
Mische seinen Jubel ein!
Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele
Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!
Und wer’s nie gekonnt, der stehle
Weinend sich aus diesem Bund!

Freude trinken alle Wesen
An den Brüsten der Natur;
Alle Guten, alle Bösen
Folgen ihrer Rosenspur.
Küsse gab sie uns und Reben,
Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod;
Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben,
Und der Cherub steht vor Gott.
Vor Gott! 

Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen
Durch des Himmels prächt’gen Plan,
Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn,
Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.
Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Brüder, über’m Sternenzelt
Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen.
Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen?
Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?
Such’ ihn über’m Sternenzelt!
Über Sternen muss er wohnen.

Finale repeats the words:

Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Brüder, über’m Sternenzelt
Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen.
Seid umschlungen,
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Tochter aus Elysium,
Freude, schöner Götterfunken
Götterfunken!

Oh friends, not these tones!
Rather, let us raise our voices in more pleasing
And more joyful sounds!
Joy! (Joy!)
Joy! (Joy!)
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods*
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter, drunk with fire,
Heavenly one, your sanctuary!
Your magic reunites
What custom strictly divided.
All men become brothers,
Where your gentle wing rests.

Whoever has had the great fortune
To be a friend’s friend,
Whoever has won a devoted wife,
Join in our jubilation!
Indeed, whoever can call even one soul
His own on this earth!
And whoever was never able to, must creep
Tearfully away from this band!

Joy all creatures drink
At the breasts of nature;
All good, all bad
Follow her trail of roses.
Kisses she gave us, and vines,
A friend, proved to the end;
Pleasure was given to the worm,
And the cherub stands before God.
Before God!

Glad, as His suns fly
Through the Heaven’s glorious design,
Run, brothers, your path,
Joyful, as a hero to victory.
Be embraced, millions!
This kiss for the whole world!
Brothers, above the starry canopy
Must a loving Father dwell.
Do you bow down, millions?
Do you sense the Creator, world?
Seek Him beyond the starry canopy!
Beyond the stars must He dwell.

Finale repeats the words:

Be embraced, you millions!
This kiss for the whole world!
Brothers, beyond the star-canopy
Must a loving Father dwell.
Be embraced,
This kiss for the whole world!
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods
Spark of the gods!

Daniel Raiskin, conductor

Known for cultivating a broad repertoire and looking beyond the mainstream for his strikingly conceived programmes, Daniel Raiskin has been the music director for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra since the 2018/19 season.

Daniel grew up in St. Petersburg, the son of a prominent musicologist, where he attended the celebrated conservatory in his native city. He continued his studies in Amsterdam and Freiburg, first focusing on the viola but was later inspired to take up the conductor’s baton.  He studied with maestri such as Mariss Jansons, Neeme Järvi, Milan Horvat, Woldemar Nelson and Jorma Panula.

Along with the WSO, Daniel was appointed Chief Conductor of the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra in 2020/21, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016/17.

Some recent and upcoming guest engagements include the Warsaw and Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestras, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, Russian National Orchestra, Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, Residentie Orchestra (Hague Philharmonic, NL), Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, Munich Symphony Orchestra and the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra.

During the 2021/22 season, Daniel took the Slovak Philharmonic and participated in a successful residency at the InClassica Festival in Dubai, where they shared the stage with Rudolf Buchbinder, Gil Shaham, Daniel Hope and Andreas Ottensamer. The Philharmonic also toured Germany and Austria this past spring (2022) under Daniel’s leadership.

From 2016 to 2018 Daniel Raiskin served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife, as Chief Conductor of both the Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie in Koblenz from 2005 to 2016, and the Artur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Lódz from 2008 to 2015.

Daniel’s regular guest engagements include the Athens State Orchestra, Copenhagen Philharmonic, Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, Iceland Symphony, Japan Century Symphony, Malmö Symfoni Orkester, Mariinsky Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic, Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, National Symphony Orchestra Taiwan, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover, NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Belgique, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, Osaka Philharmonic, Residentie Orkest, RTV Slovenia Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Symphony, Slovenska Filharmonia Bratislava, Stavanger Symphony, State Academic Symphony of Russia “Svetlanov,” Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Swedish Chamber and the Tonkünstler orchestras.

He has also led performances in opera productions that include Bizet’s Carmen, Shostakovich’s The Nose, and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Among the major soloists with whom Daniel Raiskin has appeared are Emanuel Ax, Renée Fleming, Nelson Freire, Martin Fröst, Alban Gerhardt, Vadim Gluzman, Natalia Gutman, Kari Kriikku, Simone Lamsma, Lang Lang, Francois Leleux, Jan Lisiecki, Alexei Lubimov, Tatiana Masurenko, Albrecht Mayer, Daniel Müller-Schott, Olli Mustonen, Steven Osborne, Julian Rachlin, Benjamin Schmid, Julian Steckel, Anna Vinnitskaya and Alexei Volodin.

Jan Lisiecki, piano

Jan Lisiecki’s interpretations and technique speak to a maturity beyond his age. At 27, the Canadian performs over a hundred yearly concerts worldwide, and has worked closely with conductors such as Antonio Pappano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Daniel Harding, Manfred Honeck, and Claudio Abbado.

In 2021/22, Lisiecki presented a new recital programme featuring Chopin’s Nocturnes and Études in more than 30 cities all around the globe. Recent return invitations include Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for performances at Carnegie Hall and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. Lisiecki recently performed a Beethoven Lieder cycle with baritone Matthias Goerne, among others, at the Salzburg Festival and has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Staatskapelle Dresden, Orchestre de Paris, Bavarian Radio Symphony and London Symphony Orchestra.

At the age of fifteen, Lisiecki signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon. The label launched its celebrations of the Beethoven Year 2020 with the release of a live recording of all five Beethoven concertos from Konzerthaus Berlin, with Lisiecki leading the Academy of St Martin in the Fields from the piano. His Beethoven Lieder cycle with Matthias Goerne, released shortly after, was awarded the Diapason d’Or. Lisiecki’s eighth recording for the prestigious label, a double album of Frédéric Chopin’s Complete Nocturnes, which he also showcases in his current recital programme, appeared in August 2021 and in February 2022 on vinyl, immediately topping the classical charts in North America and Europe. Most recently, his previous solo programme Night Music, featuring works by Mozart, Ravel, Schumann and Paderewski, was released as a digital album. His recordings have been awarded with the JUNO and ECHO Klassik. At eighteen, Lisiecki became both the youngest ever recipient of Gramophone’s Young Artist Award and received the Leonard Bernstein Award. He was named UNICEF Ambassador to Canada in 2012.

Marie-Josée Lord, soprano

Marie-Josée Lord began her professional career in the fall of 2003 in the role of Liù in the opera Turandot (Puccini), at the Opéra de Québec. In February 2004, Montreal audiences were seduced by her interpretation of Mimi in La Bohème (Puccini), in a production of the Opéra de Montréal. Then, in October 2005, she performed Laoula in L’Étoile (Chabrier) at the Opéra de Montréal. In September 2006, she opened the Opéra de Montréal season in the title role of Suor Angelica (Puccini). She appeared as Marie-Jeanne in the world premiere of Starmania (Plamondon/Berger) in a lyrical version at the Opéra de Québec in May 2008 and at the Opéra de Montréal in March 2009. In the fall of 2009, she brilliantly played the role of Nedda (in Pagliacci) at the Opéra de Montréal. In the spring of 2012, Marie-Josée Lord was heard as Meg Page in the opera Falstaff (Verdi) at the Opéra de Québec. In January 2014, she was heard in the role of Serena in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess presented for the first time at the Opéra de Montréal. More recently, in February 2017, it was as Ms. Lidoine, in Poulenc’s Les Dialogues des Carmélites, that the Montreal public was able to see her again.

Her irresistible charisma, generosity and passion for opera make Marie-Josée Lord a guest of choice on several television and radio shows (Tout le monde en parle, Studio 12, En direct de l’Univers, etc.) On October 28, 2012, Ms. Lord made her Toronto debut at the Royal Conservatory’s prestigious Koerner Hall as part of the Montreal Toronto series.

Marie-Josée Lord has performed several performances with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal Métropolitain under the direction of Kent Nagano, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Paul Nadler, Alain Trudel and many others.

Catherine Daniel, mezzo-soprano

Catherine Daniel, mezzo-soprano, is currently based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Catherine began 2014 singing Maria in Opéra de Montréal’s production of Porgy and Bess. She then returned to Edmonton to sing Kate Pinkerton in Edmonton Opera’s production of Madama Butterfly for their 50th anniversary season.

In 2013, Ms. Daniel released her first album, “Songs Dear to My Heart.” The project is a collection of hymns and spirituals. Catherine participated in several local concerts and events in her native city, Edmonton.

From July 2 through August 7, 2012, Catherine participated in the Franz Schubert Institute. There she worked with master teachers: Robert Holl, Elly Ameling and Bernarda Fink, to name a few. The FSI, run by Dr. Deen Larsen, is an annual masterclass aimed at the perfection of German Lied in Baden, Austria.

2011 opened with more concerts and the Opera Studio Nederland’s (OSN) production of Cosi fan tutte. In the fall, Catherine performed Kundry in an excerpt from the Wagner opera Parsifal. This production was a celebration of de Muziek Theatre’s anniversary in Amsterdam.

Later that fall, Ms. Daniel was a featured soloist for several performances in Canada, such as the Manitoba food grains fundraiser and Judas Maccabaeus under the direction of Elroy Friesen.

Ms. Daniel then returned to the Netherlands to sing Carmen in Peter Brooke’s version of Bizet’s opera with the Magogo Orkest and conductor Arjan Tien.

November and December 2010 brought Catherine back to Canada for engagements: first to Winnipeg to sing Messiah with the University choirs under the direction of Elroy Friesen and second to Montreal to sing in the annual Opera Gala. That fall, Catherine sang La Messagiera in Monteverdi’s Orfeo as part of the OSN’s 20th anniversary under the direction of Pierre Audi. Ms. Daniel also participated in the Jubileum concert at the famed Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

In the spring, Ms. Daniel joined Kirstin Chavez and Luis Ledesma in singing Mercedes in Manitoba Opera’s production of Carmen.

As her European debut, Catherine sang Dido and the Sorceress in Opera Studio Netherlands’ production of Dido and Aeneas in the fall of 2009. This touring project was a collaboration with Opera Zuid and Ad Mosam. Ms.Daniel subsequently became a full member of the (OSN) in May 2010 under the direction of Hans Nieuwenhuis.

From 2008 to 2010, Catherine was a member of the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal. There she sang such roles as Wowkle in Fanciulla Del West, the 2nd spirit in Verdi’s Macbeth, Dorabella in Cosi fan tutte and Third Lady in Magic Flute. Ms. Daniel also toured with l’Orchestre Metropolitan in December 2009.

Catherine graduated from the University of Manitoba with an Integrated Music/Education degree in 2007. There she studied voice with coloratura soprano Tracy Dahl.

Charles Reid, tenor

Artist-in-Residence and Associate Professor of Voice at Michigan’s Andrews University, Charles Reid is among America’s foremost lyric/dramatic tenors, with nearly forty works in his active repertoire. He is particularly sought after for Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, which he has performed in full-orchestra version with mezzo-soprano Susan Platts at the Bard Festival and with the Toledo Symphony, and in chamber version with Matthias Goerne at the Schubertíada a Vilabertran (Spain) and with JoAnn Falletta at the Virginia Arts Festival (recorded for Naxos). He is also tenor of choice for Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which he has sung with Jaap van Zweden and the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Des Moines Symphony and, now performs with Canada’s Winnipeg Symphony. He has been welcomed on many of the world’s opera stages, including the Metropolitan Opera (nine seasons), San Francisco Opera, Theater an der Wien, Frankfurt Opera, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Theater Hagen (first-ever Don Jose in Bizet’s Carmen), as well as the festivals of Bayreuth, Salzburg, Spoleto USA, Glimmerglass and Central City. Operas-in-concert includes Wagner’s Das Rheingold with Jaap von Zweden and the Hong Kong Philharmonic (acclaimed recording released on Naxos) and Der Rosenkavalier with Philippe Jordan and the Opéra National de Paris.

Mr. Reid’s recent seasons have included Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic/Andrew Constantine, Verdi’s Requiem with the Virginia Symphony/JoAnn Falletta, Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio) with the Kalamazoo Symphony/Raymond Harvey, Handel’s Messiah with Columbia Pro Cantare/Frances Dawson, and a recital of American Art Song at the Howard Performing Arts Center. He has also given concerts with the with Orchestre National de Lyon, Beethoven Orchester Bonn, Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Orchestra, Washington, D.C.’s National Symphony, Lincoln Center’s “Mostly Mozart” Festival Orchestra, the Nashville, Allentown, Madison and Harrisburg Symphonies, Rochester and Buffalo Philharmonics and the U.S. Naval Academy.

Prestigious awards include the Richard Tucker Music Foundation, Loren L. Zachary Foundation, and Marjorie Lawrence International Vocal Competition.

Michael Nyby, baritone

Born in Ontario and raised in New Jersey, Canadian-American baritone Michael Nyby has performed extensively in opera, concert, and theatre throughout Canada and the United States. Michael is a successful interpreter of new music and has numerous world premieres to his credit. In recent years, Michael created the role of Brent Colgate in the world premiere of Gregory Vajda’s Georgia Bottoms with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra, the role of William Dale in Minnesota Opera’s world premiere production of Kevin Puts’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning Silent Night, and the role of Seth in Peter Anthony Togni’s Isis and Osiris with Toronto’s Opera in Concert. Michael’s additional new music credits include the world premiere of Scott Wheeler’s 200 Dreams from Captivity with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Larysa Kuzmenko’s Golden Harvest with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the role of Demetrio in the second performance of Kristin Hevner Wyatt’s Il Sogno with Opera Ithaca, and the singing role of the Young Man in the Canadian Premiere of Joe DiPietro’s play The Last Romance for Theatre Aquarius.

Particularly noted in concert for his interpretation of Carmina Burana, Michael was praised for his “stentorian masculinity” by Musical Toronto after his debut performance of the Orff masterpiece with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and for the “incredible control and command of his tender and rich baritone” by The Walleye after his performance with the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra. He has since performed Carmina Burana with orchestras across Canada to rave reviews.

Michael resides in Toronto with his beautiful wife and poorly-behaved cat. He is an alumnus of Ithaca College (Bachelor of Music,  2005) and the University of British Columbia (Master of Music, 2009). Some of his interests outside of music include coffee, craft beer, and competitive cycling. He is an unapologetic fan of the New York Yankees and the Vancouver Canucks and welcomes all sports-related trash-talk opportunities. A handsome devil, Michael is frequently featured on the Barihunks blog.

CMU Festival Chorus

The CMU Festival Chorus—a choir of students, alumni, and friends of CMU—has a decades-long legacy of excellence in choral music. This auditioned choir frequently performs with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and has worked with many distinguished conductors over the years, including Helmut Rilling, Robert Shaw, Ivars Taurins, Jane Glover, Tania Miller, Bramwell Tovey, Andrey Boreyko and Alexander Mickelthwate.

Dr. Janet Brenneman, CMU Festival Chorus artistic director

Dr. Janet Brenneman is an Associate Professor of Music at Canadian Mennonite University, where she teaches music education and conducts the CMU Singers, the CMU Women’s Chorus, and the CMU Festival Chorus. These choirs feature regularly in performances locally, across Canada, on Golden West Broadcasting, and as guest artists of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. During her time at CMU, the choirs have produced several recordings.

Originally from Ontario, Dr. Brenneman has conducted children’s choirs, community choirs, and university choirs and taught elementary music education in Ontario, Michigan, and Manitoba. Active in the Winnipeg music community, Janet was a conductor for Pembina Trails Voices from 2003 to 2014, where she conducted the boys’ and high school men’s choirs. Currently, she is the conductor of Renaissance Voices, a chamber choir in Winnipeg that specializes in music of the 16th century, and she is the conductor of the Faith and Life Women’s Chorus, a community chorus of Mennonite Church Manitoba comprised of women from Winnipeg and regions across southern Manitoba.

After more than 20 years of teaching at CMU, Janet’s passion for music education and teaching others how to be educators is still as strong as ever. “I think my passion lies in the collaborative aspect of teaching. I love learning from my students, as much as I love facilitating their learning. I love discovering together with them new ways of doing things, new possibilities for repertoire.”

Dr. Brenneman was a guest conductor for the WSO’s annual performance of Handel’s Messiah. She led both the orchestra and the CMU Festival Chorus in a wonderful performance of the holiday favourite.

Piano Concerto No. 1

Frédéric Chopin
b. Warsaw / March 1, 1810
d. Paris / October 17, 1849
Composed: 1830
First performance: October 11, 1830 (Warsaw), conducted by Carlo Soliva with the composer as soloist
Last WSO performance: 2018; Yundi Li, piano and conductor

At the time 20-year-old Chopin composed this concerto, the concert world was ruled by the touring virtuoso equipped with technical extravagance, thundering volume and plenty of showmanship. The arrival of Paganini on the circuit in 1805, followed by Liszt in 1823, set the rules whereby if a young artist wanted success, he had to both play his own music and ensure he had something that could be performed with an orchestra. Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was the second of the two piano concertos he composed in 1830 but the first to be published.

Chopin’s playing was the ultimate in sensitivity and poetry, perhaps unequalled in the entire history of the piano. Berlioz praised Chopin’s performing style and music, with the requirement that “it is necessary to hear him at no great distance, rather in the salon than in the theatre.” Chopin knew his intimate style well, quickly becoming a much sought-after artist among the private Parisian salons of the elite.

All one expects from Chopin’s mature style are in the E minor Concerto: the ongoing flow of arresting melody, the ease and variety of his harmonic turns, the inventive exploration of piano sonority and a finely constructed storyline, if somewhat sparse in the orchestral contribution. The second movement, “Romanze,” is especially memorable, while the rondo-finale is an exuberant setting of the native Polish dance, the Krakowiak.

MUSIC

• Symphonie fantastique, Hector Berlioz
• Symphony No. 5, “Reformation”, Felix Mendelssohn

LITERATURE

• The Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith
• The Fortunes of Perkin Warbeck, Mary Shelley

HISTORY

• Belgium declares independence from the Netherlands
• July Revolution in France overthrows King Charles X

ART

Liberty Leading the People, Eugène Delacroix

The Fashions of 1830: A Further Degree of Perfection, anonymous

Symphony No. 9, “Choral”

Ludwig van Beethoven
b. Bonn / December 17, 1770
d. Vienna / March 26, 1827
Composed: 1822-1824
First performance: May 7, 1824 (Vienna), conducted by Michael Umlauf under the composer’s supervision
Last WSO performance: 2015; Alexander Mickelthwate, conductor

Beethoven had loved Schiller’s Ode to Joy since first encountering it in 1793. At 23, the young composer was so inspired by the poem’s message of brotherhood and universal love he became a Freemason, vowing that there must be a way to be able to make a musical setting to infuse even greater emotional weight to Schiller’s text for all to feel and be inspired by. It took Beethoven quite some time – three decades, in fact, plus hundreds of revisions, stops and starts and an obvious internal focus of staggering proportions. The majestic Ninth Symphony was the result, for many, the penultimate timeless happening in all art.

Beethoven had completed the Seventh and Eighth Symphonies by 1812 and immediately decided on his next symphony, the first idea being the selection of the key of D minor. The Ninth’s original material began in 1815 with sketches for the Scherzo second movement. In 1818 he considered adding a choral movement, but only as a song within the slow movement. Ill health and the immense Missa Solemnis came Beethoven’s way, so the Ninth was only sporadically touched on for the next four years. In 1822 Missa was finished, and its influence was to pervade the Ninth’s dramatic and psychological narrative, though the Ninth was to be more a celebration of Schiller’s strivings than religious declamation.

Beethoven then received a commission from the London Philharmonic Society for the new symphony but continued to wrestle with how he would include Schiller’s text. All but the finale was completed. What to do to cap off the work?

“I have it! I have it!” he shouted. A recitative was to be the device, recalling fragments of what comes before in the symphony and bridging the gap to the famous theme introduced unadorned by the cellos to be forever lodged in the subconscious of all who would hear the work then, now and forever.

The premiere on May 7, 1824, was a triumph. The totally deaf Beethoven had conducted but didn’t know when the applause had begun. Police had to maintain order in the erupted house. Beethoven was so overwhelmed he slept in the same clothes he wore that evening.

One can look at the Ninth from innumerable perspectives, clearly its musical revelations, the finale’s ultimate anthem of freedom or the Ninth’s overall influence on Romantic expressionism. But it’s the immediacy of this masterpiece that registers most strongly – the ongoing asks to look inward at one’s feelings and outward to how they should impact all else. An invitation to, as Chopin said about Beethoven, “embrace the universe with the power of his [our] spirit.”

MUSIC

• Symphony No. 1, Felix Mendelssohn
• Symphony No. 8, “Unfinished,” Franz Schubert

LITERATURE

• Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, Thomas de Quincey
• The Vision of Judgment, Lord Byron

HISTORY

• Franz Liszt, aged 11, debuts as a pianist in Vienna
• Simón Bolívar is proclaimed dictator of Peru

ART

The Barque of Dante, Eugène Delacroix

Portrait of Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington, Ferdinand Waldmüller

CMU FESTIVAL CHORUS

SOPRANO

Andrea Smith
Anna Schwartz
Brenda Dyck
Caroline Klassen
Chrystal Hiebert
Claudia Dueck
Danielle Morton
Dong Lee
Emily Remple
Emma Lyttle
Hannah Burkholder – Wenger
Irmgard Buermeyer
Jane Omoto
Lexy Dorn
Magnolia Hollander
Martha Dyck
Nicolien Klassen-Wiebe
Taya Plett
Theresa Klassen

TENOR

Andres Proanos
Ben Pauls
Chad Desrosiers
Fred Dyck
George Neuhofer
Karl Koop
Matthew Parkinson
Mike Vander Kooy
Nick Wiebe
Sam Perrott
River Woods
Waldy Ens
Wesley Dueck

ALTO

Adriane Wolfe
Andi Kuhl
Belle Heinrichs
Brenda Wiebe
Carrie Schultz
Christa Brubacher
Daphne Froese
Emma Heinrichs
Emily Hiebert
Erica Kampen
Gabrielle Bishop Wiebe
Gina Mierau Enns
Joanna Baerg
Katie Anderson
Linda Fearn
Lori Klassen
Lori Wiebe
Lydia Balsillie
Marcy Kasdorf
Meara Sparling
Pat Gerber Pauls
Raya Cornelson
Sandy Harder
Sarah Szalai
Sidney Poettcker
Stephanie Wilson
Valerie Regehr
Violet Stoesz

BASS

Andrew Dyck
Bruce Schulz
Bruno Klassen
Chris Plett
David Elias
Ed Neufeld
Erwin Pankratz
Fred Cross
Garth Lee
Greg Fearn
Joel Wiebe
John Poettcker
Lloyd Martins
Malcolm Reimer
Mark Holmes a Court
Peter Steur
Simon King

MUSICIANS

FIRST VIOLINS

Gwen Hoebig, Concertmaster
  The Sophie-Carmen Eckhardt-Gramatté Memorial Chair, endowed by the Eckhardt-Gramatté Foundation
Karl Stobbe, Associate Concertmaster
Jeff Dydra
Mona Coarda
Tara Fensom
Hong Tian Jia
Mary Lawton
Sonia Lazar
Julie Savard
Jun Shao
Rebeca Weger**
Jeremy Buzash (guest)

SECOND VIOLINS

Chris Anstey, Principal
Elation Pauls, Assistant Principal
Karen Bauch
Kristina Bauch,
Elizabeth Dyer
Bokyung Hwang*
Rodica Jeffrey
Momoko Matsumura **
Susan McCallum
Takayo Noguchi
Jane Radomski
Trevor Kirczenow (guest)

VIOLAS

Elise Lavallée, Acting Principal
Dmytro Kreshchenskyi, Acting Assistant Principal**
Marie-Elyse Badeau
Laszlo Baroczi
Richard Bauch
Greg Hay
Michael Scholz
John Sellick (guest)

CELLOS

Yuri Hooker, Principal
Emma Quackenbush, Acting Assistant Principal
Grace An **
Arlene Dahl
Samuel Nadurak **
Alyssa Ramsay
Sean Taubner
Patricia Vanuci (guest)

BASSES

Meredith Johnson, Principal
Emily Krajewski**
James McMillan
Daniel Perry
Eric Timperman
Taras Pivniak (guest)

FLUTES

Jan Kocman, Principal
  Supported by Gordon & Audrey Fogg
Alex Conway
Laura MacDougall (guest)

OBOES

Beverly Wang, Principal
Robin MacMillan
Caitlin Broms-Jacobs (guest)
Tracy Wright (guest)

CLARINETS

Micah Heilbrunn, Principal
Cathy Wood (guest)

BASSOONS

Kathryn Brooks, Principal *
Elizabeth Mee **
Gabriel Nishikawa-Madden (guest)

HORNS

Patricia Evans, Principal
Ken MacDonald, Associate Principal
  The Hilda Schelberger Memorial Chair
Aiden Kleer
Caroline Oberheu
Michiko Singh

TRUMPETS

Chris Fensom, Principal
Paul Jeffrey, Associate Principal
Isaac Pulford
  The Patty Kirk Memorial Chair

TROMBONES

Steven Dyer, Principal
Keith Dyrda
Isabelle Lavoie**
Julia McIntyre (guest)

TUBA

Justin Gruber, Principal

PERCUSSION

Andrew Johnson, Principal
Ben Reimer (guest)
Brendan Thompson (guest)

TIMPANI

Andrew Nazer**, Principal

HARP

Richard Turner, Principal
  Endowed by W.H. & S.E. Loewen

PERSONNEL MANAGER

Isaac Pulford

MUSIC LIBRARIAN

Michaela Kleer

ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN

Aiden Kleer

* On Leave
** 1 year appointment