Spring Festival 2025: Wind Symphony and Associate Orchestra
We invite you to join us for an eclectic and diverse program presented by the CYS Associate Orchestra, under the direction of Maestro Eylar, and the Wind Symphony, under the direction of Maestro Pete Nowlen. Wind Symphony Director Nowlen will feature works by Percy Fletcher, Sruthi Rajasekar, and Joe Hisaishi. Maestro Nowlen will lead off with the Vanity Fair Overture by English composer and organist Percy Fletcher (1879-1932). The composer described the work as “a comedy in which several characters from Thackeray’s novel Vanity Fair are portrayed.”
Composer Sruthi Rajasekar (b. 1996) composes music that draws from her background in South Indian classical music as well as Western classical idioms. An award-winning vocalist trained as a Carnatic singer and Western classical soprano, Shruthi is equally adept in experimental and traditional settings. Her VOC-Helmsman of the Sea for Symphonic Wind Ensemble consists of six sections played without pause: The British Raj - Roiling Seas - An Idea - Willpower -The Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company is Born - Captain of the Sea. It tells the story of Vallinayagam Olaganathan Chidambaram (V.O.C.), an Indian freedom fighter and a prominent leader in the Indian Independence movement. He founded the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company in 1906 to compete against the monopoly of the British India Steam Navigation Company (BISNC) and was a member of the Indian National Congress.
Joe Hisaishi’s Symphonic Fantasy on Howl’s Moving Castle features music from eight songs found in the movie Howl’s Moving Castle. It is a movie that depicts the joy of living and the splendor of love through the interaction between Sophie, a girl who was cursed and turned into an old woman, and Howl, a beautiful young witch.
The Associate Orchestra will present a wonderfully varied program that includes two soloist winners of the Associate Orchestra Concerto Competition for the 2024-25 season. Co-Concertmaster Yun (Clara) Jo will be featured in Édouard Lalo’s beloved Symphonie espagnole. Though titled "Spanish Symphony," the piece is now widely regarded by musicians as a violin concerto. It is filled with Spanish motifs and vibrant rhythms and played a significant role in sparking a trend of Spanish-themed music in European classical traditions. Notably, Georges Bizet's opera Carmen debuted just a month after Symphonie espagnole, further cementing the era's fascination with Spanish culture. Our Co-Principal Clarinetist Terri Choi will perform music from Karl Stamitz’s Clarinet Concerto No. 3, composed in 1791. Stamitz, a key figure of the Mannheim School, was instrumental in expanding the repertoire for the clarinet, showcasing its lyrical and virtuosic capabilities.
The orchestra will also play works by Bay Area composer Jean Ahn, Khachaturian, and Joe Hisaishi. Our closer is the powerful and resplendent Russian Easter Overture by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, one of the composer’s most popular works. Composed in 1888 ,it is a vibrant orchestral work that captures the spirit of the Easter celebration in the Russian Orthodox Church. Subtitled Overture on Liturgical Themes, the piece draws heavily from traditional chants found in the Obikhod, a collection of sacred music. Rimsky-Korsakov combines these ancient melodies with colorful orchestration and dramatic contrasts, creating a sense of both solemnity and exuberant joy. The work evokes the journey from the somberness of Holy Saturday to the triumphant celebration of Easter morning, reflecting the deep cultural and spiritual significance of the holiday in Russian life.
Concert Highlights
Wind Symphony - Pete Nowlen, Director
Fletcher: Vanity Fair
Rajasekar: VOC-Helmsman of the Sea
Hisaishi: Symphonic Fantasy from Howl's Moving Castle
Associate Orchestra - Leo Eylar, Director
Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole, I. Allegro non troppo | Yun (Clara) Jo, violin
Stamitz: Clarinet Concerto no. 3 in B-flat major, I. Allegro moderato | Terri Choi, clarinet
Khachaturian: Three Dances from Gayaneh
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol
Ahn: Ongheya
Hisaishi: The Legend of Ashitaka from Princess Mononoke
Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Overture
Associate Orchestra Concerto Competition Winners
Yun (Clara) Jo, violin
Clara Jo is currently an eighth grader at Union Middle School, San Jose. She has been playing the violin since 2nd grade, for around 7 years. She is currently a student under Elbert Tsai. She has also been in the CYS for two years, where she has been a part of the Associate Orchestra. Clara is the Associate Ochestra's Co-concertmaster and has been selected for the California All State Orchestra last year and the following year. Additionally, she also teaches the violin at Seed Academy for refugees. Outside of her music life, Clara loves to spend time with her cat and watch Netflix!
Terri Choi, clarinet
Terri Choi is a clarinetist from San Jose, California. She’s been playing the clarinet ever since she was in 4th grade. She also played the clarinet for the two years she lived as an international student in Korea. During the school year of 2023-2024, Terri was principal clarinet for Association of Music for International Schools. During the summer of 2024, she was principal clarinet for the Intermediate Symphony Orchestra of Interlochen.
Associate Orchestra Concerto Competition
California Youth Symphony's annual CONCERTO COMPETITION for the Associate Orchestra offers its current students a special challenge and an opportunity for public recognition. All students in the Associate Orchestra are encouraged to compete. Two of five winners will debut in this Festival Afternoon concert.
