A Classical Evening with the Orchestra and Friends Soloists Valery Kuleshov, Piano Theodora Morris, Violin Ralph Morris, Viola Tess Remy-Schumacher, Cello UCO Symphony Orchestra Ralph Morris, Director Emily Butterfield, Associate Director Hong Zhu, Guest Conductor UCO Concert Chorale Karl Nelson, Director PROGRAM Sinfonia from the Opera Armida Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Emily Butterfield, Conductor Sinfonia Concertante in A Major, K 320e Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Completed and Edited by Eduard Melkus Allegro Adagio Rondeaux Theodora Morris, Violin Ralph Morris, Viola Tess Remy-Schumacher, Cello Hong Zhu, Conductor Intermission Choral Fantasy, op. 80 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Valery Kuleshov, Piano UCO Concert Chorale Vocal Soloists: Cheyenne Holland, Soprano Mackenzie Cook, Soprano Taylor Bradshaw, Alto Keegan Rose, Tenor Davison Nguyen, Baritone Bear Harlow, Bass UCO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PERSONNEL Violin I Samuel Gilles Yian Lu Anne Michelle Jean Baptiste Jose Batty* Maria Marcos* Chazlen Rook* Violin II Faith Clarke Adriana Medina Azusena Gordillo Ashley Selby Abby Sewell Sasha Gunderson Lela Campbell Viola Caleb Springer Chris Bobo Bradley Hemphill Colin Aberson Katie Mckerlick Cello Trinity Davis Sophia Darvin Yasaman Seif Valerie Ragon Ashley Haiges Aria Hansen String Bass Alexander Chapman Cullen Smith Flutes Naomi Tomko Kayla Factor Kieran Sowerby Oboes/English Horn Diana Henderson Sara Roark Clarinets Cristian Celis Kyle Nolting Mikayla Walker Bassoons Ryan Holcomb Micah Adkins Horns Rebecca Geitzenauer Melissa DeLeon Cristalynne Burns Blake Sullivan Alex Lance Hamm Derek Stills Trumpets Laila Martinez Trevor Chandler Caleb Rollins Trombones Naomi Wharry Lucas Haught Benjamin Curtis Tuba William Cagle Timpani/Percussion Zach Kimber Lance Longhorn Graduate Assistant Yasaman Seif *Alumni Guest Artists UCO CONCERT CHORALE PERSONNEL Vocal Soloists Cheyenne Holland, Soprano Mackenzie Cook, Soprano Taylor Bradshaw, Alto Keegan Rose, Tenor Davison Nguyen, Baritone Bear Harlow, Bass Soprano Taylor Bradshaw Mackenzie Cook Cheyenne Holland Faith Morrissey Makayla Seeney Nicolette Snider Alto Ashlee Foster Carolyne King Jaci McDaniel Sofie Moxley Jillian Hart Kylie Weldon Tenor Khalil Cabrera Tosado Kody Clark Jarrett Cox Joe McBride Christian Usey Bass Joshua Buchanan Bear Harlow Davison Nguyen Keegan Rose Luis Vasquez ARTIST BIOS Russian pianist Valery Kuleshov is among the most brilliant virtuosos of his generation. At the age of nine, as a student at the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory, Valery Kuleshov made his concert debut with orchestra on stage of the Moscow Conservatory Great Hall. In 1995 he made his first appearance at Isaac Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall in New York. Years of studies with the world’s most acclaimed musicians, including Dmitri Bashkirov, Vladimir Tropp, Karl Urlich Schnabel, Leon Fleischer, Fou Ts’ong, Byron Janis, and Earl Wild have created the foundation for a spectacular international performance career with has included appearances at the best concert halls in Russia, North and South America, Canada, Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, England, Finland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, China, Singapore, Mexico and Dominican Republic. Major music festivals such as Radio France et Montpellier, Colmar, La rogue d’Anthéron, Schleswig-Holstein, Russian Winter, Stars on Baikal, Ravinia, Rimini and Davos are also on his list of appearances. In addition to maintaining his international performing schedule, Valery Kuleshov has been, since 1997, serving as Artist-in-Residence at the University of Central Oklahoma, USA. In 2016 The Kuleshov International Piano Festival & Competition was established by UCO Collage of Fine Arts and Design. www.TheKuleshov.com Mr. Kuleshov’s recordings have been released on BIS, Philips, VAI Audio, JVC Victor, MCA, Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, Melody, Bel Air Music, Vista Vera and Piano Classics. Kuleshov’s name is linked to that of Vladimir Horowitz. As an homage, Kuleshov accomplished the extraordinary task of writing out, by ear, the legendary master’s unpublished piano arrangements, and then trumped his own feat by learning to play and perform these super virtuosic pieces. After listening to Kuleshov’s recordings of his own arrangements, Horowitz has shown his appreciation by writing to the young musician: “I was not only delighted by your fantastic performances, but I congratulate you on your keen ear and great patience that were required to write out, note by note, the scores of these unpublished transcriptions, by listening to my recordings.” (OCTOBER 6, 1987) Documented by historic photographs, their meeting in 1989 at Horowitz’s apartment in New York was touching and intimate. The maestro not only listened to the young virtuoso play, but also gave him most valuable advice and offered to give him consultations free of charge. The great pianist’s death left this plans unrealized. Valery Kuleshov’s performing art is based on the best Russian piano traditions. One can find in his playing emotional sincerity, rich colors, brilliant virtuosity, profound understanding of composer’s styles and freshness of interpretation. Honored Artist of Russian Federation (1997) A First Prize winner at the Pro Piano International Competition in New York, USA (1998) A Silver Medal, Second Prize and Special Prize winner for the Best Performance of the Commissioned Work at the Ninth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, USA (1993) A Second Prize winner with special distinction of jury and Gold Medal at the Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano, Italy (1987) “He has everything: the fingers to negotiate the virtuoso repertory, the musicality and imagination to make the most familiar music sound fresh and compelling.” – THE NEW YORK TIMES “What sound! What allure! What a musician” – LE MONDE, FRANCE Theodora Morris is an adjunct instructor of violin and chamber music at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO). A native of Vienna, Austria, she completed her education at the Hochschule fur Musik in Vienna with diplomas in violin (1973) and recorder (1976), studying with Günter Pichler, Edith Bertschinger, Rene Clemencic and Elisabet Schaftlein. She also studied historical performance practices with Eduard Melkus. Ms. Morris taught strings and recorder in the Vienna public schools for ten years and performed regularly with the Capella Academica Wien, the Stadtmusik Wien, the orchestras of the Wiener Volksoper and Theater an der Wien and the Mozart Oper Salzburg. In 1984, Ms. Morris moved to United States, studying violin with Eugene Lombardi and string pedagogy with William Magers at Arizona State University. Since moving to the United States she has been a member of the Sun City Symphony (in AZ), the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, has served as concertmaster of the Oklahoma City Community Orchestra, and has been an instructor of violin, recorder, and chamber music at Rose State College. She currently serves as principal second violinist in the Enid Symphony, As a member of the UCO string faculty, Ms. Morris has performed chamber music throughout Oklahoma and the United States, China, Thailand, and Germany. She has been a featured soloist with the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Community Orchestra, the Jubilee Community Orchestra of Ashville, NC, the UCO Symphony, the UCO Chamber Orchestra, and the Thai National Symphony in Bangkok, Thailand. Ms. Morris is an active member of the UCO Center for Historical Performance and is a founding member of Trio Antiqua, a chamber music group founded in 2014 dedicated to the performance of early music on period instruments. Ms. Morris currently maintains a private violin studio in Edmond. Dr. Tess Remy-Schumacher is a featured Solo Artist on Kitt Wakeley’s 2023 GRAMMY® winning CD “An Adoption Story”, the 2022 AKADEMIA Music Award Grand Prize Winner, a Global Music Award multiple silver medal winner and bronze medal winner as the Otis Trio with Dr. Dawn Lindblade-Evans and Dr. Sallie Pollack, a Native American Music Award nominee with Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, and 1st prize winner at the international Carlo-Zecchi Competition in Rome. She has been a concert soloist for many years performing in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the U.S., including the Wigmore Hall in London, Jubilee Hall in Singapore, Bradley Hall in Chicago, and the Carnegie Recital Hall in New York. Among her 20+ albums are premiere recordings of David Maslanka’s Cello Concerto “Remember Me” and Carter Pann’s Cello Concerto “High Songs” with the UCO Wind Symphony under conductor Dr. Brian Lamb. Dr. Remy received a DMA and MM from the University of Southern California and her Artist Diploma (terminal degree) from the Musikhochschule Koeln, Germany. Among her teachers were Boris Pergamenschikow Eleonore Schoenfeld, Lynn Harrell, and Jacqueline du Pre. Tess was a Visiting Scholar and Performance Fellow at Harvard University 2010-2012. Previously, she was tenured faculty at James Cook University, Australia. Currently, she is Professor for Cello and cofounder of the Brisch Center for Historical Performance at UCO. https://www3.uco.edu/centraldirectory/profiles/5999 Dr. Ralph Morris joined the faculty of the University of Central Oklahoma in 1991. He is the Director of the UCO Symphony Orchestra and teaches viola and chamber music. He is the former Director of the UCO School of Music. He holds a BM from Texas Christian University and a MM and PhD in Musical Arts from Arizona State University. In addition, Dr. Morris studied violin, viola, and historical performance practice with Eduard Melkus at the Hochschule fur Musik in Vienna. His teachers have also included William Magers and Kenneth Schanewerk. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Dr. Morris is a former member of the Fort Worth Symphony. While living in Austria for over eight years, he specialized in the performance of Baroque and Classical music, performing with the Capella Academica Wien and the Wiener Barock Solisten in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. He also performed throughout Europe and Japan as a member of the orchestras of the Wiener Volksoper, the Theater an der Wien, and the Mozart Oper Salzburg. Since moving to Oklahoma he has performed in the Lawton Philharmonic and is currently principal violist with the Enid Symphony. As a conductor, he has led the UCO Chamber Orchestra in performances at Merkin Hall in New York City, the Eroica Hall in Vienna, Austria, the Central University of Finance and Economics and the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China. As a member of the UCO string faculty, Dr. Morris has performed chamber music throughout Oklahoma and the United States, China, Thailand, and Germany. He has been a featured soloist with the Lawton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Oklahoma City Community Orchestra, the Jubilee Community Orchestra of Ashville, NC, the UCO Symphony, the UCO Chamber Orchestra and the Thai Symphony in Bangkok, Thailand. Dr. Morris is an active member of the University of Central Oklahoma Center for Historical Performance and is a founding member of Trio Antiqua, a chamber music group founded in 2014 dedicated to the performance of early music on period instruments. In 2016 Dr. Morris was named Outstanding Teacher of the Year by the Oklahoma Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Emily J. Butterfield, D.M.A, UCO Associate Symphony Orchestra Director, is Professor of Flute, Head of the Wind and Percussion Division, performs locally in the Enid Symphony Orchestra, and in “Heavy Metal,” a duo for flute and horn. Butterfield has previously performed in orchestras in Ohio, Minnesota, and Michigan, and taught at university and school/community music programs in Ohio, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Michigan, and California. In 2005, the NFA selected her D.M.A. document, “The Professional Life and Pedagogy of Clement Barone,” as a winner in its Doctoral and Dissertation Competition. While more recently, in August 2022, the UCO College of Fine Arts and Design recognized Butterfield for her excellence in teaching with the presentation of the Vanderford Distinguished Teacher Award. Butterfield received a Bachelor of Music degree in instrumental music education from Michigan State University, a Master of Music in Flute Performance from Florida State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Flute Performance from The Ohio State University. Hong Zhu, D.M.A. is a tenured full professor of violin and chamber music, string division head, and the conductor of the chamber orchestra at the University Central Oklahoma, member of the Brisch Center for Historic Performance, and member of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. Hong won the Yehudi Menuhin Award at The Second England International String Quartet Competition. As a member of the Peking Quartet, he received a full grant to go to Australia to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and to perform around the country, including the Sydney Opera House. He received his Bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing China. At Michigan State University, he earned both of his Master’s and Doctoral degrees in music performance. Dr. Zhu had taught at the Central Conservatory of Music, in China and Murray State University in Kentucky before coming to the University of Central Oklahoma. Zhu has performed concertos as the soloist with the Bangkok National Symphony Orchestra in Thailand, the Chihuahua Philharmonic Orchestra in Mexico, the Marquette Symphony Orchestra in Michigan, the Oklahoma City Community Orchestra, the Oklahoma Youth Symphony Orchestra, and the Oklahoma Youth Orchestra. He has also served as the concertmaster and guest concertmaster at the Midland Symphony Orchestra in Michigan, the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra in Kentucky, the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, the Pueblo Symphony Orchestra in Colorado, and Lawton Symphony Orchestra. As an experienced violin teacher, Professor Zhu has taught master classes in the United States and several countries in Asia. He has also taken students to perform in Europe and China. Many of his students have won awards in various of music competitions at state and international levels. Dr. Karl Nelson has served as the Director of Choral Studies at the University of Central Oklahoma since August of 2006, where he oversees the choral program, directing the Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers, and teaching choral literature and conducting courses. He also serves as the advisor of the Graduate Choral Conducting program and the School of Music Undergraduate Coordinator. A student of Kenneth Fulton, Michael Butterman, Jindong Cai, Chester Alwes, and Joe Grant, he earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Under the direction of Dr. Nelson, the University of Central Oklahoma Concert Chorale has performed for Oklahoma Music Educators Association (OkMEA) Conferences, as well as the College Music Society National Conference in September 2010. The choir has also toured throughout Brazil in 2014, highlighted by performances at the International Music Festival of Campina Grande, and Italy in 2018 and 2008. This summer, the UCO Concert Chorale will be performing throughout the United Kingdom. In addition to his responsibilities at UCO, he also serves as the director for the First Christian Church-Edmond Chancel Choir and the Worship and Music Repertoire and Resource Chair for the Oklahoma Choral Directors Association. When not directing music, he loves woodworking, rock climbing, watching his beloved Chicago Cubs, and spending time with his loving wife, Jena, and two children.