2. Program
The Marriage of Figaro
Overture
Featuring Arjun Malhotra
Guest Conducter
“Cinque, dieci, venti”
Duettino Susanna/Figaro
Sophia Farion/Will Theuer
“Se a caso madama la nota”
Duettino Susanna/Figaro
Sophia Farion/Will Theuer
“Se vuol ballare, signor contino”
Cavatina Figaro
Will Theuer
“Non piu andai, farfallone amoroso”
Aria Figaro
Robert Quittmeyer
“Porgi amor qualche ristoro”
Cavatina Countess
Kyu Won Kang
Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart
“Crudel, perche finora fermi”
Duettino Susanna/Count
Emily Chrisman/Miguel Petrosky
“E Susanna non vien/Dove sono”
Recit. & Aria Countess
Rachel Rose
“Che soave zeffiretto/Sull’aria”
Duettino Susanna/Countess
Rachel Rose/Emily Chrisman
“Giunse alfin momento”
Aria Sussana
Emily Chrisman
*Special Thanks to Mary and Ryan Fletch-
er. The vocalists for todays program study
opera under their direction.
~Intermission~
Meditation from Thais
Carmen Suites
Suite I
Prelude
Aragonaise
Seguedille
Intermezzo
Les dragons d’Alcala
Les Toreadors
Suite II
Habanera
Chanson du Toreador
Danse Boheme
Jules Massenet
Georges Bizet
3. First Violin
Rachael Stambaugh, Concertmaster*
Matthew Wang, Concertmaster*
Kate Hansen
Jerry O’Dwyer
Evangeline Hsieh
Alexandra Cramer
Nicole Cook
Shouzhuo Sun
Jacob Alter
Brendan Boylan
Borah Kim
Second Violin
Ryan Harriss*
Emma Tainter
Tiara Johnson
Alexis Payne
Lauren Wengrovitz
Rayna Yu
Fabiana Arrazola
Casey Charbonneau
Maxwell Cloe
Conor Scanlon
Mary Haas (C.M.)
Viola
Evan Dienstman*
Madeleine Yi
Rachael Greenman
Shelby Ferebee
Megan Kitts
Hannah Winckler-Olick
Noelle Varney
Emily Hinshaw
Iria Gomez Garcia
Charlie Whittaker (C.M.)
Cello
Darcey Pittman*
Sarah Lettau
Luke Schwenke
Aijan McHale
Robert Collie
Will Park
Jordan Noble
Diane Whitaker (C.M.)
Carl Andersen (C.M.)
Bass
Hannah Stevenson*
James Burns
Andrew Torma
Flute
Allison Greenday
Jill Mao
Ruth Ann Beaver
Yutong Zhan
Oboe
Karl Spiker (G.S.)
Emily Chrisman
Abby Jackson
Clarinet
Arjun Malhotra
Rebecca Quinn
Ronghong Dai
Bassoon
James Bowers
Johnny Willing
Ayush Joshi
Katherine Bowles
French Horn
John Mitchell*
Emily Pratt
Ailish Bova
Kathy Urbonya (C.M.)
Trumpet
Charles Balaan
Joseph Handy
Chad Amos
Trombone
Mike Kikta
Sarah Grave Frary
Michael Mannella
Tuba
Ryan Richardson
Timpani
Madeline Brass
Percussion
John Willing
Ayush Joshi
Harp
Hope Wright
Stage Managers
Chad Amos
Hope Wright
Orchestra Librarian
Hannah Stevenson
* denotes Principal
(G.S.) denotes Graduate
Student
(C.M.) denotes Community
Member
Emily Chrisman, ‘17, President
Evan Dienstman, ‘17, VP of Fundraising
Shelby Ferebee, ‘17, Treasurer
James Burns, ‘18, Secretary
Hannah Stevenson, ‘18, Publicity Director
William Park, ‘17, VP of Development
Fabiana Arrazola, ‘18, Historian
Ryan Harriss/Megan Kitts, ‘17, Social Chairs
Hope Wright, ‘18, Tour Director
Nicole Cook, ‘18, Tour Director
Under the direction of David Grandis
4. About the Vocalists
Emily Chrisman ‘17
Emily is a Marketing and Music double major from Roanoke, VA.
She is the President of the Symphony in which she plays oboe.
Emily is also a member of the Accidentals.
Sophia Farion ‘17
Hailing from Philadelphia, Sophia is majoring in English and Gov-
ernment. Outside of her studies she is an active William & Mary
musician, taking voice lessons, singing in the Opera Workshop, and
leading DoubleTake A Cappella as the Musical Director.
Kyu Won Kang ‘19
Kyu has been studying voice with Ryan Fletcher for the past two
years, and has performed in student recitals and Opera Workshops.
Miguel Petrosky ‘17
Miguel is from Covington, VA and is majoring in Government with
a minor in Music. He is involved in musicals and solo performanc-
es around campus and in the Williamsburg area.
Robert Quittmeyer ‘17
From Mobile, Alabama, Robert is a double major in marketing and
music. He has directed the Christopher Wren Singers for two years
and has sang with the Stairwells since his freshman year.
Rachel Rose ‘18
Living in Schenectady, NY, Rachel is an Anthropology and Music
double major. She is involved in the Opera Workshop ensemble,
the American Indian Student Association, and is the President of
the Club Softball team.
Will Theuer ‘17
Will is from Richmond, VA and is studying Computer Science and
Linguistics. He is involved in several singning groups, including the
Botetourt Chamber Singers and the Gentlemen of the College
5. About the Conductor
David Grandis
Conductor David Grandis recently obtained a Doctor of Musical A
rts degree at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. There, he served
as the assistant of Professor James Smith with the Symphony Orchestra,
Chamber Orchestra and Opera. He also recently served as Assistant
Conductor of the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra and Capital City
Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC. Previous positions have in-
cluded Cover Conductor at the National Philharmonic, Assistant Con-
ductor at the Baltimore Opera Company, and at the Chesapeake Youth
Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Grandis’ guest conducting opportunities have
included the Bordeaux National Symphony Orchestra, Nice Philharmon-
ic Orchestra, Lyon National Opera, Sofia New Symphony Orchestra and
Minsk Philharmonic Orchestra.
Before coming to the United States in 2004 for post-graduate study
with Gustav Meier at the Peabody Conservatory, Mr. Grandis held posi-
tions in his native France, leading the University Orchestra in Grenoble
and his own chamber orchestra in Nice. Further studies were completed
in several national conservatories in France. He began his conducting
apprenticeship with Klaus Weise and earned a B.M. in Musicology in
France.
David Grandis received a graduate performance diploma from
Peabody Conservatory and during that time served as Assistant Conduc-
tor of the Peabody Symphony Orchestra and the Peabody Opera. He
earned a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the University of
Illinois under Donald Schleicher.
Among the conductors with whom he has participated in master
classes are Marin Alsop, Gustav Meier, Rossen Milanov, Misha Kats,
John Farrer, Daniel Lewis and Donald Thulean.
Mr. Grandis has an equal interest in both symphonic and lyric
literature. He has studied voice for several years and performed a few
roles in productions such as Pagliacci (Silvio), Werther (Albert), Pélléas
et Mélisande (Pélléas), Faust (Valentin), and Die Zauberflöte (Papageno).
Albert Lance invited him to conduct productions of Gounod’s Faust
and Puccini’s Il Tabarro in France. Mr. Grandis was recently Assistant
Conductor at the Lyon National Opera in June 2010 for Humperdinck’s
Hansel and Gretel and in December 2010 for Massenet’s Werther.
6. Program
The Marriage of Figaro
A profoundly humane comedy, The Marrige of Figaro is a
remarkable marriage of Mozart’s music at the height of his genius
and one of the best librettos ever set.
Plot Synopsis:
Figaro and Susanna are to marry, but the Count has given them rooms
near to his own, which will be convenient if he needs access to Susanna. Bar-
tolo wants to take revenge on Figaro, who had helped the Count to marry his
ward Rosina, now the Countess. His housekeeper Marcellina has lent money to
Figaro, who has promised to marry her, if he cannot repay it. Cherubino tells
Susanna that he loves all women, and Susanna hides him, as the Count is heard
approaching. His proposals to Susanna are interrupted by the sound of Don
Basilio coming near, and he too hides behind the chair, allowing Cherubino to
hide himself sitting on it, under a dress thrown over him by Susanna. Basilio
now refers to Cherubino’s love for the Countess, and the Count emerges to find
out more. Susanna tries to distract them by fainting, but Cherubino is discov-
ered. Figaro brings in a group of peasants, singing praise of the Count, who has
surrendered, it is suggested, his droit de seigneur as far as Susanna is concerned,
but the Count delays their marriage and packs Cherubino off to the army. Figa-
ro, however, detains Cherubino, since he has plans for him.
In the second act the Countess, in her room, is sad, neglected by her
husband. She listens to Figaro’s plan to dress Cherubino as a girl and put him in
Susanna’s place in an attempt to trap the Count. Cherubino is singing of his love
for the Countess, when the Count returns from hunting, eager to pursue matters
divulged to him in an anonymous letter accusing the Countess. Cherubino hides
in the closet and Susanna, unseen by the others, comes in. The Countess tells
her husband that Susanna is in the closet but the door cannot be opened. The
Count, suspicious, goes to fetch tools to open the door, taking the Countess with
him. This allows Cherubino to jump out of the window and Susanna to take his
place. The Count returns and the closet is opened, revealing Susanna. Antonio,
the gardener, adds complications when he comes in to complain of someone
jumping out of the window, and Figaro now claims that it was him. The act ends
with the appearance of Don Basilio, Bartolo and Marcellina, seeking justice.
As the wedding is prepared, in the third act, Susanna, at the suggestion
of the Countess, agrees to an assignation with the Count. Marcellina’s complaint
against Figaro is heard and he claims that he needs parental consent for his
marriage to her, if it is to take place. It then transpires that Marcellina is in fact
his mother and Bartolo his father.
In the fourth act, in the garden at night, Figaro is given cause for jeal-
ousy of Susanna, but she is now disguised as the Countess and the Countess as
Susanna. The Count unknowingly woos his own wife, while Figaro deliberately
provokes his jealousy by his own approaches to the supposed Countess, in fact
Susanna. The opera ends with the Count humbled but penitent, reconciled now
with his wife, Figaro with Susanna, Cherubino with Barbarina and Marcellina
with Bartolo.
-The Metropolitan Opera
7. Notes
Meditation from Thais
The piece comes from Massenet’s masterpiece, the opera “Thais” base
on Anatole France’s novel of the same title. The opera was first played at the
Paris Opera Theater in 1894. The story is set in the in the early first century, on
the River Nile. A priest approaches Thais, a dancer of the night world of Alex-
andria, with the goal of talking her into repentance and leading her to a life of
faith. Ironically, however, his own faith is replaced by love for Thais, just as she is
becoming inclined to accept religion.
“Meditation” is played by a solo violin with harp accompaniment
between the first and second acts. It portrays the change in Thais’ heart, from
wanting to seduce the priest, at the end of the second scene of the first act, to
wanting to begin a religious life. It is effectively played at the opening of the sec-
ond act when Thais visits the priest to tell him of her decision. The piece is often
played independently as a violin solo.
Carmen Suites
The opera Carmen was composed 1873-74 and premiered 3 March
1875 at the Opéra-Comique, Paris. Sometime after the composer’s death on 3
June of that year, Ernest Guiraud derived two suites from the opera, published
1882/1887. Georges Bizet composed several operas, however Carmen is uni-
versally considered his masterpiece and still one of the most popular operas on
today’s stages. Sadly, Bizet did not live to see his story of the fatal love between a
gypsy woman and a renegade soldier become a worldwide success. Today Car-
men is one of the most popular operas in the world.
The Carmen Suite No. 1’s short Prélude introduces the ominous
theme that the opera associates with both Carmen and her fate at the hands
of her lover Don José. This leads without pause into the Aragonaise: festive yet
delicate and sinuous music that opens Act IV (the final act) as crowds arrive for
a parade and bullfight. Next, the lyrical Intermezzo (the Prelude to Act III) fea-
tures ravishing woodwind melodies. The Seguedille that follows is an orchestral
arrangement of Carmen’s Act I aria in which she seduces Don José into letting
her free and meeting her at her friend Lillas Pastia’s tavern. (A seguidilla is a type
of Castilian folksong.) Les dragons d’Alcala (The Dragoons of Alcala) is a jaunty
march that forms the opera’s Prelude to Act II; later in the act José is heard
singing it offstage as he approaches Pastia’s inn. Les Toréadors is the rousing
finale of the suite: in the opera it is actually the very opening music, preceding
the fateful Carmen theme, and is heard again at the end of the opera, when the
Carmen theme interrupts it even more jarringly. In this number we briefly hear
the toreador Escamillo’s song, to be presented more fully in the second suite.
The Carmen Suite No. 2 is derived from vocal numbers of the opera.
The Habañera is a transcription of Carmen’s famous Act I aria in which she
describes love as a wild bird that can never be tamed: “If you don’t love me, I
love you; but if I love you, watch out for yourself!” The Chanson du Toréador is
Escamillo’s swaggering portrayal of his art. Finally, Danse Bohême is the gypsy
dance that Carmen and her friends perform at Lillas Pastia’s: it starts quietly but
builds to a frenzy.
-Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra
8. Kae Brown Memorial
Symphony Orchestra
Endowment
Those wishing to donate should send checks
payable to The College of William & Mary at:
The College of William and Mary
Office of University Development
P.O. Box 1693
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8779
Please indicate that your contribution is for the
Kae Brown Memorial Symphony Endowment.
Thank you for your support!
In order to raise money, the Orchestra will
be raffling off a fully paid trip for two to
Paris either during Veteran’s Day Weekend
2017 or MLK Weekend 2018.
For every $1 you donate,
you will receive 1 raffle ticket.
Check the WMSO Facebook page in late
April 2017 to see when the winner will be
announced
Questions? email us at:
wmsofrancetour@gmail.com
The WMSO
is going
to France
And so can you!
