Paying homage to one of the greatest and most popular bands in music history, LANDSLIDE recreates the hits from yesteryear, taking fans on an electric journey through Fleetwood Mac’s incredible catalog of music, including the hits from their solo careers.

The Rock Series is presented by the Yurtchuk Foundation.

Program

Bradley Thachuk, conductor
Walter Ino, lead guitar & vocals
Ali Handal, guitar & vocals
Jennifer Jo Oberle, vocals
Ben White, bass
Jimmy Keegan, drums
Sven Martin, keyboard

Program to be announced from the stage.

About Walter Ino
Lead Guitar & Vocals

Walter Ino is a Los Angeles-based stage and studio multi-instrumentalist with decades of touring and recording experience, hailing from Pittsburgh where he was originally classically trained in piano. He is currently the keyboardist/guitarist/music director for Tommy DeCarlo, the singer of Boston, the keyboardist for Asia featuring John Payne, and also the keyboardist/saxophonist/guitarist for the “Voices of Classic Rock” show, which features legendary singers Lou Gramm (Foreigner), Steve Augeri (Journey), John Elefante (Kansas), Bill Champlin (Chicago), Fran Cosmo (Boston), and many more.

Walter spent 2018 to early 2019 as the lead guitar player for Eagles of Death Metal, and from 2011-2018 was a member of the multi-platinum, GRAMMY Award-winning band Survivor, playing keyboard, guitar, and singing background vocals. He currently tours as the keyboardist with legendary band The Babys, touring occasionally as the guitarist with Wilson Phillips, and is also the musical director and orchestrator for “The Music of Led Zeppelin with Orchestra,” “A Night of Symphonic Rock,” “A Night of Symphonic Metal,” and “Rewind,” a national orchestral rock show featuring members of Starship, Foreigner, Berlin, Survivor, MSG, and more. You can also see him as a rotating member of the award-winning Las Vegas and Branson show “Raiding The Rock Vault,” featuring band members of Heart, Bad Company, Whitesnake, BonJovi, Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, and more. Walter is also the guitarist for an all-star tribute to the music of the band Rush called “A Farewell to Kings,” featuring Brian Tichy of Whitesnake, Francesco Di Cosmoof Thin Lizzy, and Jonathan Sindelman of the Alan White band).

Walter also runs his own studio “Secret Asian Man Studios,” where he produces for many artists of different styles, mixes for various artists, and writes and records music for TV and movies, including music for the Hallmark Channel, USA Network, Discovery Channel, and more. He plays with his original rock trio occasionally in and around L.A.

About Ali Handal
Guitar & Vocals

“Ali Handal’s reputation has centered around her big riffs, burning yet melodic solos, and huge voice” (Guitar Player). Guitarist and singer-songwriter Ali Handal sets the stage ablaze with fiery guitar passages and soulful lyrics delivered by her powerhouse voice. Vintage Guitar describes her as a “devilishly witty songwriter whose guitar is as blue and gutsy as her lyrics.”

Ali’s songs have been featured in numerous films and hit shows like “Dawson’s Creek,” “Sex and the City,” and Fox’s Thursday Night Football. She has toured Australia, Japan, and beyond, provided backing vocals for Neil Young, and shared the stage with songwriting legend Paul Williams as his featured vocalist. Also a published author, Ali penned Guitar for Girls (Hal Leonard), an exceptional guitar method book and CD brimming with advice for aspiring female musicians, as well as encouraging quotes and remarkable songs from female songwriters in all genres.

Ali has released four albums, as well as a series of bluesy rockin’ singles. Her song, “Shut Your Mouth and Do Something,” was chosen for Spotify’s “Nu-Blues” and “Women of the Blues” playlists, as well as Joe Bonamassa’s “Cutting Edge Blues” Spotify playlist. Her fifth album will be released this year, produced by four-time GRAMMY Award-winner Seth Atkins Horan.

About Jennifer Jo Oberle
Vocals

Jennifer Jo Oberle is a professional bassist, vocalist, bandleader, orchestrator, arranger, and songwriter based out of Los Angeles, CA. Her touring and recording credits include Sarah McLachlan, Five for Fighting, Vertical Horizon, Meredith Brooks, and Air Supply, in addition to leading her own musical collective, JJo & the Jennerators. She is the orchestrator and arranger of Landslide: A Tribute to the Music of Fleetwood Mac.

About Ben White
Bass

Playing and recording with locals and legends alike, Ben White has established himself as a versatile, reliable, tasteful, and in-demand sideman, bringing both electric and upright chops to the table and adding his vocal abilities to the mix. Not just a sideman though, he has also developed a truly unique voice on his instrument which sets him apart in his improvisation, soloing, and composition. He has shared stages with such luminaries as Gerry Brown, Rick Latham, Steve Lukather, David Paich, Rafael Moreira, Warren Hill, and Mindi Abair, and has recorded with Shooter Jennings, Josh Kelley, Jessi Colter, Suge Knight, and Sophie B. Hawkins, among many others.

About Jimmy Keegan
Drums

Jimmy started playing drums at 10 years old. A few months after receiving his first drum set, he landed a TV show alongside the late River Phoenix. A few months later, he was doing theater in LA as a cast member and musician. By 14 he started his first band, Polo, that would end up performing in regular rotation at Disneyland, winning Starsearch, and playing for numerous telethons. By 18 he had started getting calls for sessions and tours, and it expanded from there. He says, “I was lucky to have a huge family with all kinds of music playing at all times. As I grew as a musician, I just continued that trend of listening to everything. Consequently, I got calls from R&B artists as often as rock, pop, and country artists from Santana, John Waite, and Kenny Loggins, to Tevin Campbell and Tony Orlando.”

In 2003, Jimmy began touring with Spock’s Beard alongside fellow Aquarian artist Nick D’Virgilio. 2012 saw Nick leaving and Jimmy taking over as the full-time drummer with the release of “Brief Nocturnes and Dreamless Sleep,” and in 2015 with “The Oblivion Particle.” Now onto new territory, Jimmy has a solo album coming, and the fourth album from Pattern Seeking Animals, “Spooky Action at a Distance,” is out now.

About Sven Martin
Keyboard

Hailing from Düsseldorf, Germany, Sven Martin is an accomplished keyboardist, producer, songwriter, and musical director who now resides in Los Angeles, CA. Sven Martin has worked with artists such as Shakira, Black Eyed Peas, and Jonathan Davis of Korn. The accomplished musician has also produced songs for production studios such as 20^th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Touchstone Pictures, and MTV.

Bach’s Double Violin Concerto is a family affair featuring BPO concertmaster Nikki Chooi and his equally virtuosic brother, Timothy Chooi, in an energetic exchange of musical one-up-man-ship. Timothy solos on Prokofiev’s lyrical and romantic Violin Concerto No. 1, and the BPO performs Brahms’ beautifully melodic Serenade No. 2.

Nikki Chooi’s performance is sponsored by Mark Chason and Mariana Botero Chason.
Timothy Chooi’s Saturday performance is sponsored by Dr. George and Mrs. Carolyn Kotlewski.

The BPO Coffee Concert Series is presented by Highmark.

Program

JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Timothy Chooi, violin
Nikki Chooi, violin

BEHZAD RANJBARAN  Saratoga Overture
PROKOFIEV  Violin Concerto No. 1
BACH  Concerto for Two Violins
BRAHMS  Serenade No. 2 in A major

About Timothy Chooi

Internationally acclaimed violinist Timothy Chooi has captivated audiences worldwide with his virtuosic and finely nuanced performances. He is highly sought after for his passionate renditions and extensive repertoire, as well as his exceptional ability to connect with a global audience, amassing a media following of millions of viewers who have tuned in to his music.

Chooi gained international recognition by winning First Prize at the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hanover, Germany, and Second Prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Competition. He also received the prestigious classical music award, the “Yves Paternot Prize,” at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. He has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Belgian National Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and Wiener Concert-Verein, among others. His performances have garnered glowing reviews from venues such as Carnegie Hall, Musikverein Wien, Berlin Philharmonie, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and the Royal Albert Hall in London. Additionally, he has collaborated with esteemed artists including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Pinchas Zukerman, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Lang Lang, and James Ehnes.

This year marks an exciting touring year from Chooi, including collaborations with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring Emmy Award nominee composer Brian Tyler, a return to the Toronto Symphony, and debuts with the European Union Youth Orchestra, Bruckner Orchester Linz, and at the Wimbledon Music Festival.

Chooi’s music has been broadcast on several prestigious stations worldwide. In 2023, he recorded with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Mutter’s Virtuosi on Deutsche Grammophon, and his performance with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra was featured on Medici TV. His music has also been aired on NPO Radio Klassiek Amsterdam, WQXR New York, RTBF Belgium, Swiss Public Radio, CBC Radio Canada, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, and Danish Public Radio.

Born in Canada and raised in the United States of America to Indonesian parents of Chinese ethnicity, Chooi embarked on his violin journey inspired by his older brother, Nikki Chooi. At the age of sixteen, his debut performance with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Orchestre symphonique de Montréal) catapulted his career onto the global stage.

Currently, Chooi serves as the Professor of Violin at the University of Ottawa in Canada. He performs on two exceptional rare violins: the Titan Guarneri Del Gesu violin from 1741, on loan from CANIMEX INC. in Drummondville, Québec, Canada, and the Engleman Stradivarius violin from 1709, on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation in Japan.

About Nikki Chooi

Praised for his powerful and poetic performances, internationally-acclaimed violinist Nikki Chooi has established himself as an artist of rare versatility. Gramophone stated he performed with “total conviction and assurance.” Nikki is a Laureate of the Queen Elizabeth and Tchaikovsky Competitions, and was awarded 1st Prize Winner at the Montreal Symphony’s ManuLife Competition, the Klein International Strings Competition, and the Michael Hill International Violin Competition.

Nikki is currently Concertmaster of the Grammy-award winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under Music Director JoAnn Falletta. Highly in demand as a guest concertmaster, he has performed with the Boston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Houston Symphony, Sydney Symphony, and Macao Orchestra. Previously Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Nikki’s solos can be heard through The Met: Live in HD broadcasts in productions of Verdi’s La Traviata, Janacek’s Jenufa, and the Grammy-nominated recording of Strauss’ Rosenkavalier released on the Decca Label.

In 2022-2023, Nikki made critically-acclaimed debuts at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium as soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic and at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall with Orchestra NOW. He was also featured soloist with the Vancouver Symphony, Puerto Rico Symphony, National Taiwan Symphony Festival Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. In past seasons, he has appeared as soloist with orchestras across Canada and internationally including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Wallonie, National Orchestra of Belgium, Auckland Philharmonia, Malaysian Philharmonic, and Hong Kong Philharmonic.

Nikki has been featured at many international festivals with performances at the Marlboro Festival, Ravinia Festival, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Brevard Music Center, Vancouver Recital Series, Wimbledon Festival, Moritzburg Festival, Kammermusik Utrecht, Dresden Music Festival, Chamber Music New Zealand, and Fundación Beethoven in Chile. Additionally, Nikki has collaborated with esteemed artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Renne Fleming, Eric Owens, and Time for Three. A passionate educator, Nikki has presented classes at Curtis Institute of Music, Morningside Music Program at the New England Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, Orchestra of the Americas Academy, Sphinx Academy, Hong Kong Cultural Center, and the University of Auckland.

Nikki began his studies at the Victoria Conservatory, Mount Royal Conservatory, Morningside Music Bridge, and at the National Arts Centre Young Artist Programme. He completed his formal studies at the Curtis Institute and the Juilliard School under the mentorship of Joseph Silverstein, Ida Kavafian, and Donald Weilerstein.

He has recorded for Naxos, Beau Fleuve, Atoll, and Decca labels. Nikki performs on a 1749 G.B Guadagnini and a Jean Marie Persoit bow on extended loan through the Stradivari Society of Chicago. Nikki proudly endorses Thomastik-Infeld strings.

Bach’s Double Violin Concerto is a family affair featuring BPO concertmaster Nikki Chooi and his equally virtuosic brother, Timothy Chooi, in an energetic exchange of musical one-up-man-ship. Timothy solos on Prokofiev’s lyrical and romantic Violin Concerto No. 1, and the BPO performs Brahms’ beautifully melodic Serenade No. 2.

Nikki Chooi’s performance is sponsored by Mark Chason and Mariana Botero Chason.
Timothy Chooi’s Saturday performance is sponsored by Dr. George and Mrs. Carolyn Kotlewski.

The BPO Coffee Concert Series is presented by Highmark.

Program

JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Timothy Chooi, violin
Nikki Chooi, violin

BEHZAD RANJBARAN  Saratoga Overture
PROKOFIEV  Violin Concerto No. 1
BACH  Concerto for Two Violins
BRAHMS  Serenade No. 2 in A major

About Timothy Chooi

Internationally acclaimed violinist Timothy Chooi has captivated audiences worldwide with his virtuosic and finely nuanced performances. He is highly sought after for his passionate renditions and extensive repertoire, as well as his exceptional ability to connect with a global audience, amassing a media following of millions of viewers who have tuned in to his music.

Chooi gained international recognition by winning First Prize at the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition in Hanover, Germany, and Second Prize at the Queen Elisabeth International Competition. He also received the prestigious classical music award, the “Yves Paternot Prize,” at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. He has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Belgian National Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and Wiener Concert-Verein, among others. His performances have garnered glowing reviews from venues such as Carnegie Hall, Musikverein Wien, Berlin Philharmonie, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and the Royal Albert Hall in London. Additionally, he has collaborated with esteemed artists including Anne-Sophie Mutter, Pinchas Zukerman, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Lang Lang, and James Ehnes.

This year marks an exciting touring year from Chooi, including collaborations with London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring Emmy Award nominee composer Brian Tyler, a return to the Toronto Symphony, and debuts with the European Union Youth Orchestra, Bruckner Orchester Linz, and at the Wimbledon Music Festival.

Chooi’s music has been broadcast on several prestigious stations worldwide. In 2023, he recorded with Anne-Sophie Mutter and Mutter’s Virtuosi on Deutsche Grammophon, and his performance with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra was featured on Medici TV. His music has also been aired on NPO Radio Klassiek Amsterdam, WQXR New York, RTBF Belgium, Swiss Public Radio, CBC Radio Canada, Deutschlandfunk Kultur, and Danish Public Radio.

Born in Canada and raised in the United States of America to Indonesian parents of Chinese ethnicity, Chooi embarked on his violin journey inspired by his older brother, Nikki Chooi. At the age of sixteen, his debut performance with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (Orchestre symphonique de Montréal) catapulted his career onto the global stage.

Currently, Chooi serves as the Professor of Violin at the University of Ottawa in Canada. He performs on two exceptional rare violins: the Titan Guarneri Del Gesu violin from 1741, on loan from CANIMEX INC. in Drummondville, Québec, Canada, and the Engleman Stradivarius violin from 1709, on loan from the Nippon Music Foundation in Japan.

About Nikki Chooi

Praised for his powerful and poetic performances, internationally-acclaimed violinist Nikki Chooi has established himself as an artist of rare versatility. Gramophone stated he performed with “total conviction and assurance.” Nikki is a Laureate of the Queen Elizabeth and Tchaikovsky Competitions, and was awarded 1st Prize Winner at the Montreal Symphony’s ManuLife Competition, the Klein International Strings Competition, and the Michael Hill International Violin Competition.

Nikki is currently Concertmaster of the Grammy-award winning Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under Music Director JoAnn Falletta. Highly in demand as a guest concertmaster, he has performed with the Boston Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Houston Symphony, Sydney Symphony, and Macao Orchestra. Previously Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Nikki’s solos can be heard through The Met: Live in HD broadcasts in productions of Verdi’s La Traviata, Janacek’s Jenufa, and the Grammy-nominated recording of Strauss’ Rosenkavalier released on the Decca Label.

In 2022-2023, Nikki made critically-acclaimed debuts at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium as soloist with the Buffalo Philharmonic and at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall with Orchestra NOW. He was also featured soloist with the Vancouver Symphony, Puerto Rico Symphony, National Taiwan Symphony Festival Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. In past seasons, he has appeared as soloist with orchestras across Canada and internationally including the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic, Chamber Orchestra of Wallonie, National Orchestra of Belgium, Auckland Philharmonia, Malaysian Philharmonic, and Hong Kong Philharmonic.

Nikki has been featured at many international festivals with performances at the Marlboro Festival, Ravinia Festival, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Brevard Music Center, Vancouver Recital Series, Wimbledon Festival, Moritzburg Festival, Kammermusik Utrecht, Dresden Music Festival, Chamber Music New Zealand, and Fundación Beethoven in Chile. Additionally, Nikki has collaborated with esteemed artists including Yo-Yo Ma, Renne Fleming, Eric Owens, and Time for Three. A passionate educator, Nikki has presented classes at Curtis Institute of Music, Morningside Music Program at the New England Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, Orchestra of the Americas Academy, Sphinx Academy, Hong Kong Cultural Center, and the University of Auckland.

Nikki began his studies at the Victoria Conservatory, Mount Royal Conservatory, Morningside Music Bridge, and at the National Arts Centre Young Artist Programme. He completed his formal studies at the Curtis Institute and the Juilliard School under the mentorship of Joseph Silverstein, Ida Kavafian, and Donald Weilerstein.

He has recorded for Naxos, Beau Fleuve, Atoll, and Decca labels. Nikki performs on a 1749 G.B Guadagnini and a Jean Marie Persoit bow on extended loan through the Stradivari Society of Chicago. Nikki proudly endorses Thomastik-Infeld strings.

The BPO joins the international observance of the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s powerful masterwork that includes the “Ode to Joy.” Its message of unity and love continues to hearten millions around the world. Equally inspiring is the exhilarating performance of Nikki Chooi on Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.

Nikki Chooi’s performance is sponsored by Mark Chason and Mariana Botero Chason.
This concert is dedicated to the memory of Clement Arrison.

This concert is presented by Phillips Lytle

Program

JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Nikki Chooi, violin
Jaclyn Grossman, soprano
Hannah Shea, alto
John Tiranno, tenor
Lester Lynch, bass
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus

SIBELIUS  Violin Concerto
BEETHOVEN  Symphony No. 9

The BPO joins the international observance of the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s powerful masterwork that includes the “Ode to Joy.” Its message of unity and love continues to hearten millions around the world. Equally inspiring is the exhilarating performance of Nikki Chooi on Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.

Nikki Chooi’s performance is sponsored by Mark Chason and Mariana Botero Chason.
This concert is dedicated to the memory of Clement Arrison.

This concert is presented by Phillips Lytle

Program

JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Nikki Chooi, violin
Jaclyn Grossman, soprano
Hannah Shea, alto
John Tiranno, tenor
Lester Lynch, bass
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus

SIBELIUS  Violin Concerto
BEETHOVEN  Symphony No. 9

Our Memorial Day weekend tradition pays a musical tribute to the men and women of the armed forces who defend our freedom.

The Coffee Concert Series is presented by Highmark.

Program

Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Dee Donasco, vocalist
Jeffrey Biegel, piano
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus
Adam Luebke, BPC music director
Silver Creek High School Chamber Choir
Phillip McMullen, director

-INTERMISSION-

About Stuart Chafetz

Stuart Chafetz is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Columbus Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor of the Chautauqua and Marin Symphonies. Chafetz, a conductor celebrated for his dynamic and engaging podium presence, is increasingly in demand with orchestras across the continent, and takes the podium this season for several appearances. He enjoys a special relationship with the Phoenix Symphony, where he leads multiple programs annually.

Chafetz has had the privilege to work with renowned artists including Leslie Odom, Jr., En Vogue, Kenny G, David Foster and Catherine McPhee, The O’Jays, Chris Botti, 2 Cellos, Hanson, Rick Springfield, Michael Bolton, Kool & The Gang, Jefferson Starship, George Benson, Richard Chamberlain, John Denver, Marvin Hamlisch, Thomas Hampson, Wynonna Judd, Jim Nabors, Randy Newman, and many others.

He previously held posts as Resident Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Associate Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. As principal timpanist of the Honolulu Symphony for twenty years, Chafetz would also conduct the annual Nutcracker performances with Ballet Hawaii and principal players from the American Ballet Theatre. It was during that time that Chafetz led numerous concerts with the Maui Symphony and Pops. He has led numerous Spring Ballet productions at the world-renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

When not on the podium, Chafetz makes his home near San Francisco, CA, with his wife Ann Krinitsky. Chafetz holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music.

About Dee Donasco

Praised as an artist who embraces vocal versatility, Philippine-born soprano Dee Donasco has attracted attention with a voice that crosses a variety of musical genres. Equally at home with opera, oratorio or recital, jazz and pop, musical theater, and accomplished in classical works ranging from Baroque to modern contemporary, she brings rewarding vocal and dramatic range to her work.

This performance season, Dee makes her singing debut with the Edmonton Symphony, in addition to the BPO. She returned to perform with the Columbus Symphony for a series of Holiday Pops concerts, and returns to the Nashville Opera to perform the role of Papagena for Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. In a very busy 2022-23 season, Dee made her mainstage debut with Nashville Opera as Mrs. Gobineau in Menotti’s The Medium. She also made her performance debuts as a featured guest artist with the Columbus Symphony for the Patriotic Pops concert and gala event, and with the Seattle Symphony for Holiday Pops. At less than a day’s notice she made her debut with the Nashville Symphony for Music City Christmas, getting to perform alongside country music star, Mickey Guyton. Other performances for that season include her return to sing with the Chautauqua Symphony for the Independence Day Celebration, the Marin Symphony for Holiday Pops, and the Gyros String Quartet in Dallas, for Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.

Dee made her international debut on a concert tour of Ireland in 2016. She has appeared as a featured guest artist with the Detroit Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Kingsville Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony. She also performed for the Duke Ellington Foundation’s Holiday Celebration in New York City, in addition to her critically acclaimed performances as the title role in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne and as Alba in Rodriguez’ La Curandera with Opera Piccola San Antonio. She made her Dallas Symphony debut as the featured guest artist for the 2011 New Year’s Eve concert. She also appeared as Mahalath in the world premiere of Mark Peterson’s A New Nation, and later performed as a guest artist on the U.S. national tour of the world-renowned group, The Priests – Irish tenors – in 2013.

A prodigy, winning the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) of the Philippines at age 10, she has continued to win numerous awards, including first place in the San Antonio Vocal Competition and the SMU Meadows Concerto Competition, second place in the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition, and third place in the Lois Alba Aria Competition and the Jensen Foundation Voice Competition. A regional finalist for the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition in 2011, Dee returned to Opera North to sing Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, after making her company debut in 2010 as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. In 2009, she made her debut at the San Antonio Opera as Ines in Verdi’s Il trovatore. Other noted operatic roles she has performed are Laurie in Copland’s The Tender Land, Euridice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, and Aminta in Mozart’s Il re pastore. Her concert works include the Coronation Mass and Requiem by Mozart, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Michael Haydn’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Couperin’s Leçons de ténèbres, Britten’s Les Illuminations, Chausson’s Poéme de l’amour et de la mer, and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

Dee earned her master’s degree in music and Performance Diploma at Southern Methodist University with a full artistic scholarship. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in chemistry from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She served as Adjunct Professor of Voice and Lyric Theatre at the University of Dallas for four years prior to moving to Tennessee. Her most cherished and greatest achievement to date is being a mother of two beautiful human beings.

About Jeffrey Biegel

In an age when many artists’ fortunes begin with a meteoric ascent and quickly cool with the inexorable free-fall, pianist Jeffrey Biegel has managed to buck that trend, fashioning a career of steady success studded with concerts at major venues with major orchestras, a GRAMMY-winning recording, and more than 25 commissioned works by living composers. His life takes its roots from age three, barely able to hear nor speak, until corrected by surgery. The ‘reverse Beethoven’ phenomenon explains his lifelong commitment to music, having heard only vibrations in his formative years. The pandemic year of 2020 focused on composing original “Waltzes of Hope,” “Sonatina,” and “Three Reflections: JFK, RBG and MLK” for solo piano, and for piano and orchestra, orchestrations by Harrison Sheckler. 2021 saw the world premieres of his “Reflection of Justice: An Ode to Ruth Bader Ginsburg” with the Dallas Symphony, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg” for mezzo-soprano, piano and orchestra in tribute to the late Supreme Court Justice, with mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. 2021 also saw the world premiere of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “Shadows,” newly arranged for piano and seven players with the Idaho State Civic Symphony. In 2022, he premiered Jim Stephenson’s piano concerto, Daniel Perttu’s “A Planets Odyssey” for piano and orchestra, Farhad Poupel’s “The Legend of Bijan and Manijeh” for piano, orchestra and chorus, his own concerto, “Three Reflections: Freedom (JFK), Justice (RBG) Equality (MLK),” and Christopher Marshall’s “Thanksgiving Variations on ‘We Gather Together'”. For 2023, the 50-state Rhapsody National Initiative began with the Utah Symphony leading a three-season effort with Peter Boyer’s “Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue,” with a world premiere recording of the new Rhapsody with Peter Boyer conducting the London Symphony Orchestra for a February 2024 Naxos digital release. The 2024-25 season foresees a new work for piano and orchestra by Adolphus Hailstork with the Pacific Symphony and Carl St. Clair conducting, and GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester’s “AWAKE” for piano and orchestra.

Considered the most prolific artist of his generation, Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters upon Mr. Biegel in 2015, for his achievements in performance, recordings, and chamber music as a champion of new music, a composer, arranger, and educator. In 2019, Kenneth Fuchs’ “Piano Concerto: ‘Spiritualist'” with the London Symphony Orchestra led by JoAnn Falletta received a GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Compendium, featuring Mr. Biegel as its soloist. In 2019, the first digital recordings were released on Mr. Biegel’s Naturally Sharp label: “Cyberecital: An Historic Recording,” “A Pianist’s Journey,” and the September 2021 release of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” – the 1924 version with the Adrian Symphony and Bruce Kiesling conducting.

Mr. Biegel created the first largest consortium of orchestras in 1998 for Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “Millennium Fantasy,” premiered with the Cincinnati Symphony in 2000, followed by Charles Strouse’s “Concerto America” with the Boston Pops, Lowell Liebermann’s Concerto No. 3 with the Milwaukee Symphony, William Bolcom’s “Prometheus,” Richard Danielpour’s “Mirrors” with the Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “Shadows” and Jake Runestad’s “Dreams of the Fallen” with the Louisiana Philharmonic and Symphony Chorus of New Orleans, Lucas Richman’s “Piano Concerto: In Truth” with the Knoxville Symphony and recorded with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and Kenneth Fuchs’ “Piano Concerto: ‘Spiritualist'” with the Springfield Symphony (MA). He also premiered and recorded Giovanni Allevi’s “Concerto for Piano and Orchestra,” and commissioned Christopher Theofanidis’ “Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra” with the Harrisburg Symphony, the “Peanuts Concerto” by Dick Tunney, based on music by Vince Guaraldi, Jimmy Webb’s “Nocturne for Piano and Orchestra, ” and PDQ Bach’s “Concerto for Simply Grand Piano and Orchestra” by Peter Schickele with the Colorado Symphony. Bringing new music to youth orchestras saw the world premiere of Daniel Dorff’s piano concerto with the Etowah Youth Orchestra, conducted by Michael Gagliardo.

Mr. Biegel studied at The Juilliard School with Adele Marcus, herself a pupil of Josef Lhevinne and Artur Schnabel, and is currently on faculty at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College.

Our Memorial Day weekend tradition pays a musical tribute to the men and women of the armed forces who defend our freedom.

The Coffee Concert Series is presented by Highmark.

Program

Stuart Chafetz, conductor
Dee Donasco, vocalist
Jeffrey Biegel, piano
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus
Adam Luebke, BPC music director
Silver Creek High School Chamber Choir
Phillip McMullen, director

-INTERMISSION-

About Stuart Chafetz

Stuart Chafetz is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Columbus Symphony and Principal Pops Conductor of the Chautauqua and Marin Symphonies. Chafetz, a conductor celebrated for his dynamic and engaging podium presence, is increasingly in demand with orchestras across the continent, and takes the podium this season for several appearances. He enjoys a special relationship with the Phoenix Symphony, where he leads multiple programs annually.

Chafetz has had the privilege to work with renowned artists including Leslie Odom, Jr., En Vogue, Kenny G, David Foster and Catherine McPhee, The O’Jays, Chris Botti, 2 Cellos, Hanson, Rick Springfield, Michael Bolton, Kool & The Gang, Jefferson Starship, George Benson, Richard Chamberlain, John Denver, Marvin Hamlisch, Thomas Hampson, Wynonna Judd, Jim Nabors, Randy Newman, and many others.

He previously held posts as Resident Conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Associate Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. As principal timpanist of the Honolulu Symphony for twenty years, Chafetz would also conduct the annual Nutcracker performances with Ballet Hawaii and principal players from the American Ballet Theatre. It was during that time that Chafetz led numerous concerts with the Maui Symphony and Pops. He has led numerous Spring Ballet productions at the world-renowned Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.

When not on the podium, Chafetz makes his home near San Francisco, CA, with his wife Ann Krinitsky. Chafetz holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, and a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music.

About Dee Donasco

Praised as an artist who embraces vocal versatility, Philippine-born soprano Dee Donasco has attracted attention with a voice that crosses a variety of musical genres. Equally at home with opera, oratorio or recital, jazz and pop, musical theater, and accomplished in classical works ranging from Baroque to modern contemporary, she brings rewarding vocal and dramatic range to her work.

This performance season, Dee makes her singing debut with the Edmonton Symphony, in addition to the BPO. She returned to perform with the Columbus Symphony for a series of Holiday Pops concerts, and returns to the Nashville Opera to perform the role of Papagena for Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte. In a very busy 2022-23 season, Dee made her mainstage debut with Nashville Opera as Mrs. Gobineau in Menotti’s The Medium. She also made her performance debuts as a featured guest artist with the Columbus Symphony for the Patriotic Pops concert and gala event, and with the Seattle Symphony for Holiday Pops. At less than a day’s notice she made her debut with the Nashville Symphony for Music City Christmas, getting to perform alongside country music star, Mickey Guyton. Other performances for that season include her return to sing with the Chautauqua Symphony for the Independence Day Celebration, the Marin Symphony for Holiday Pops, and the Gyros String Quartet in Dallas, for Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.

Dee made her international debut on a concert tour of Ireland in 2016. She has appeared as a featured guest artist with the Detroit Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Kingsville Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, and the Dallas Symphony. She also performed for the Duke Ellington Foundation’s Holiday Celebration in New York City, in addition to her critically acclaimed performances as the title role in Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne and as Alba in Rodriguez’ La Curandera with Opera Piccola San Antonio. She made her Dallas Symphony debut as the featured guest artist for the 2011 New Year’s Eve concert. She also appeared as Mahalath in the world premiere of Mark Peterson’s A New Nation, and later performed as a guest artist on the U.S. national tour of the world-renowned group, The Priests – Irish tenors – in 2013.

A prodigy, winning the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) of the Philippines at age 10, she has continued to win numerous awards, including first place in the San Antonio Vocal Competition and the SMU Meadows Concerto Competition, second place in the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition, and third place in the Lois Alba Aria Competition and the Jensen Foundation Voice Competition. A regional finalist for the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition in 2011, Dee returned to Opera North to sing Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, after making her company debut in 2010 as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. In 2009, she made her debut at the San Antonio Opera as Ines in Verdi’s Il trovatore. Other noted operatic roles she has performed are Laurie in Copland’s The Tender Land, Euridice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, and Aminta in Mozart’s Il re pastore. Her concert works include the Coronation Mass and Requiem by Mozart, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater, Michael Haydn’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Handel’s Messiah, Couperin’s Leçons de ténèbres, Britten’s Les Illuminations, Chausson’s Poéme de l’amour et de la mer, and Vivaldi’s Gloria.

Dee earned her master’s degree in music and Performance Diploma at Southern Methodist University with a full artistic scholarship. She graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in chemistry from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She served as Adjunct Professor of Voice and Lyric Theatre at the University of Dallas for four years prior to moving to Tennessee. Her most cherished and greatest achievement to date is being a mother of two beautiful human beings.

About Jeffrey Biegel

In an age when many artists’ fortunes begin with a meteoric ascent and quickly cool with the inexorable free-fall, pianist Jeffrey Biegel has managed to buck that trend, fashioning a career of steady success studded with concerts at major venues with major orchestras, a GRAMMY-winning recording, and more than 25 commissioned works by living composers. His life takes its roots from age three, barely able to hear nor speak, until corrected by surgery. The ‘reverse Beethoven’ phenomenon explains his lifelong commitment to music, having heard only vibrations in his formative years. The pandemic year of 2020 focused on composing original “Waltzes of Hope,” “Sonatina,” and “Three Reflections: JFK, RBG and MLK” for solo piano, and for piano and orchestra, orchestrations by Harrison Sheckler. 2021 saw the world premieres of his “Reflection of Justice: An Ode to Ruth Bader Ginsburg” with the Dallas Symphony, and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg” for mezzo-soprano, piano and orchestra in tribute to the late Supreme Court Justice, with mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves. 2021 also saw the world premiere of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “Shadows,” newly arranged for piano and seven players with the Idaho State Civic Symphony. In 2022, he premiered Jim Stephenson’s piano concerto, Daniel Perttu’s “A Planets Odyssey” for piano and orchestra, Farhad Poupel’s “The Legend of Bijan and Manijeh” for piano, orchestra and chorus, his own concerto, “Three Reflections: Freedom (JFK), Justice (RBG) Equality (MLK),” and Christopher Marshall’s “Thanksgiving Variations on ‘We Gather Together'”. For 2023, the 50-state Rhapsody National Initiative began with the Utah Symphony leading a three-season effort with Peter Boyer’s “Rhapsody in Red, White & Blue,” with a world premiere recording of the new Rhapsody with Peter Boyer conducting the London Symphony Orchestra for a February 2024 Naxos digital release. The 2024-25 season foresees a new work for piano and orchestra by Adolphus Hailstork with the Pacific Symphony and Carl St. Clair conducting, and GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester’s “AWAKE” for piano and orchestra.

Considered the most prolific artist of his generation, Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters upon Mr. Biegel in 2015, for his achievements in performance, recordings, and chamber music as a champion of new music, a composer, arranger, and educator. In 2019, Kenneth Fuchs’ “Piano Concerto: ‘Spiritualist'” with the London Symphony Orchestra led by JoAnn Falletta received a GRAMMY Award for Best Classical Compendium, featuring Mr. Biegel as its soloist. In 2019, the first digital recordings were released on Mr. Biegel’s Naturally Sharp label: “Cyberecital: An Historic Recording,” “A Pianist’s Journey,” and the September 2021 release of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” – the 1924 version with the Adrian Symphony and Bruce Kiesling conducting.

Mr. Biegel created the first largest consortium of orchestras in 1998 for Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “Millennium Fantasy,” premiered with the Cincinnati Symphony in 2000, followed by Charles Strouse’s “Concerto America” with the Boston Pops, Lowell Liebermann’s Concerto No. 3 with the Milwaukee Symphony, William Bolcom’s “Prometheus,” Richard Danielpour’s “Mirrors” with the Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “Shadows” and Jake Runestad’s “Dreams of the Fallen” with the Louisiana Philharmonic and Symphony Chorus of New Orleans, Lucas Richman’s “Piano Concerto: In Truth” with the Knoxville Symphony and recorded with the Pittsburgh Symphony, and Kenneth Fuchs’ “Piano Concerto: ‘Spiritualist'” with the Springfield Symphony (MA). He also premiered and recorded Giovanni Allevi’s “Concerto for Piano and Orchestra,” and commissioned Christopher Theofanidis’ “Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra” with the Harrisburg Symphony, the “Peanuts Concerto” by Dick Tunney, based on music by Vince Guaraldi, Jimmy Webb’s “Nocturne for Piano and Orchestra, ” and PDQ Bach’s “Concerto for Simply Grand Piano and Orchestra” by Peter Schickele with the Colorado Symphony. Bringing new music to youth orchestras saw the world premiere of Daniel Dorff’s piano concerto with the Etowah Youth Orchestra, conducted by Michael Gagliardo.

Mr. Biegel studied at The Juilliard School with Adele Marcus, herself a pupil of Josef Lhevinne and Artur Schnabel, and is currently on faculty at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College.

The colossal season closer features Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 2, celebrating a fallen hero, his meandering retrospect on life, and his final judgement and redemption. While Mahler himself gave the symphony no name, it is known to many as “Resurrection.”

Program

JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Ilana Davidson, soprano
Susan Platts, mezzo soprano
Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus

MAHLER  Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”