Young Artist Series Concerts

The Moldau
by Bedrich Smetana 

symphonic poem

  • “Every young musician possesses a unique artistic voice, we must create a welcoming environment to help nurture both serious young musicians and music patrons. This is essential to the human condition.”

    -KuanFen Liu, Artistic Director

  • This enchanting work is the most frequently performed of Smetana’s orchestral compositions. Written in 1874, it is the second symphonic poem from his orchestral cycle, Ma Vlast (My Homeland), and is a musical portrayal of the Moldau River's course, flowing through the heart of Bohemia, passing various landmarks and landscapes along the way. It begins with a quiet, bubbling effect in the strings and woodwinds depicting the source of the great river (a small brook) and gradually builds in strength, leading to the entrance of the famous theme so familiar to all of us—the Moldau theme. It appears first in the minor mode, then in the major. The structure of the work is rather free in form, with the different sections representing picturesque parts of Smetana’s beloved homeland: the Vyšehrad Fortress, meadows and woodlands, a hunt, a peasant wedding, the rapids, a majestic castle, and the mighty river flowing into Prague. Smetana’s masterpiece is a celebration of the Czech landscape and its natural beauty, and through the use of folk tunes and original melodies, an expression of his love for the people and traditions of his native land.

    — written by Ted Lucas, CHICO Board of Directors

Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33
by Camille Saint-Saëns

I. Allegro non troppo – Allegro molto – Tempo I

  • Kaleb Chavez is an 18-year-old cellist who began studying the cello at the age of 15 with his cello teacher, Celine Gietzen. Since he first began playing the cello he has always been working to improve his technique and understanding of music. In the short time that he has been studying the cello he has managed to win first place in the 2023 Pleasant Valley - Ventura County MTAC Branch Competition and second place in the 2023 Peter Yazbeck Scholarship Competition. Kaleb plans to major in Cello Performance at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University Long Beach. Kaleb aspires to have a career as both a performer and a cello teacher.

  • Camille Saint-Saëns' first cello concerto is considered by many to be the greatest cello concerto ever written. While that is certainly debatable, it is undoubtedly among the top five, which includes those by Elgar, Haydn, Dvorak, and Shostakovich. It is a remarkable work for a number of reasons: it manifests the expressive capabilities of the cello, from its lowest to some of its highest notes; it is challenging to play, giving accomplished cellists a vehicle for showcasing their technical prowess; it demonstrates Saint-Saëns’ skill as both an orchestrator and composer of music for the cello; there is no break between the three “movements”; the opening theme returns in the third section, serving as a quasi recapitulation; it is written in such a way that the cello can always be heard over the orchestra, even when the orchestra is playing fortissimo (not always true in some of the aforementioned concerti); and, while it is an architectural masterpiece from a compositional standpoint, it is also a highly expressive work, creating an emotionally satisfying experience. The first movement begins with a bold, descending melody in the cello, immediately creating a sense of urgency. This is followed by a development of that melody in the form of a conversation between the cello and the orchestra, especially the flute, clarinet, horn, and violins. Things slow down as the cello plays a dreamy, almost pleading, melody, accompanied by quiet chords in the strings. A fast but brief middle section precedes a recapitulation of the turbulent opening theme. The pleading theme returns, with the first movement ending quietly in the solo cello.

    — written by Ted Lucas, CHICO Board of Directors

Fantaisie pastorale hongroise
by Albert Franz Doppler

  • Eileen Zhang is a senior at Newbury Park High School. She has studied flute and piccolo under Ms. Ann Erwin for almost seven years, and has participated and won in various festivals and competitions, such as the Advanced Contemporary Festival and MTAC’s VOCE State Competition. She was accepted alongside college students as a Performer for legendary flutist Jim Walker’s Beyond the Masterclass and enjoyed two years as part of the Junior Chamber Music Program. Eileen was chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall as part of the internationally-selected Honors Performance Series High School Honors Symphony Orchestra, and at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic Orchestra. She was awarded a Silver Medal in the 2023 Southern California Junior Bach Festival’s Complete Works Audition. Alongside music, Eileen is also an artist and poet, and has won in many visual art and poetry competitions, including Gold Keys in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. In her spare time, Eileen enjoys reading, learning new languages, knitting, visiting national parks, and playing tennis with friends.

  • Why has Hungarian traditional music held such a special appeal to so many composers of classical music? Liszt, Brahms, Kodaly, and Bartok, to name the major ones, all wrote music influenced by the rural and indigenous communities of Hungary. Part of the answer lies in the modal nature of their melodies, especially the so-called “Hungarian minor scale,” or “Gypsy minor scale,” which can be thought of as a harmonic scale with a raised fourth degree (e.g., A B C D# E F G# A). This scale was not an essential element of Western music theory in the 19th century, so it held a strong attraction to some composers, giving them new and interesting material with which to work. In addition, the alternating slow and fast tempos of many of the traditional dances of Hungary were often incorporated into their music (think Brahms’ “Hungarian Dances,” 21 of them!). Franz Doppler was a widely-known flutist who concertized throughout Europe in the mid-19th century, often with his brother Karl, also an accomplished flutist. Doppler composed many works for the flute, one of his most popular being the Fantaisie Pastorale Hongroise (Hungarian Pastoral Fantasy). The first half of the piece, in D minor, is in a slow tempo, the flute’s plaintive melody evoking the pastorale landscape of Hungary, informed, perhaps, by the nighttime song of a nightingale. A dancelike tune in the strings, in D major, announces the second half. The flute enters with its own playful theme, returning twice more to a more embellished and technically demanding variation. Following an interlude by the orchestra, we are treated to a faster and lively dance in the minor mode, leading to quasi-cadenzas and ending in a dramatic finale in D major.

    — written by Ted Lucas, CHICO Board of Directors

Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 19
by Ludwig van Beethoven 

I.  Allegro con brio

  • Lori Qian is fifteen years old and a sophomore at Westlake High School. She started her piano journey at age five and studies with Ornela Ervin. Lori has earned many awards and honors from various competitions, including MTAC honors, winner of the Contemporary Festival, Junior Chamber Music honors, second place at state level Southern California Junior Bach Festival, and more. She passed the MTAC Piano level 10 test in Feb 2023. Additionally, Lori has been selected to play with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonics twice, one in January 2020 right before the pandemic and one in April 2023. Lori is honored to be invited to play with the Channel Island Chamber Orchestra for the Young Artists Series. Lori contributes to her community through music by frequently performing at retirement homes. Outside of piano, Lori plays tennis and is part of her high school’s tennis team. She also loves math, doing well in nationally acclaimed competitions such as qualifying for the prestigious American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) with her high AMC 10 score. During her spare time, she likes to listen to music.

  • Beethoven was just 17 years old when he began writing this piano concerto, and spent years perfecting it. However, he couldn't get it published until after he had written his next piano concerto, which did get published as Piano Concerto No. 1. Eventually, his first concerto was published as Piano Concerto No. 2. This is similar to the sequence of events with Chopin's two piano concertos, where No. 2 was actually written first but published second. Knowing that we are listening to a young Beethoven, who was steeped in the Classical tradition of Haydn and Mozart, adds to our appreciation of this work. We can already hear hints of the characteristics we associate with a mature Beethoven; characteristics such as mystery, surprise, and suspense. The movement is in the traditional sonata-allegro form, with the orchestra stating the first theme in Bb major. The piano then repeats the theme and transitions to F major for the second theme. Unlike in Beethoven's later concertos and sonatas, this second theme doesn't noticeably contrast with the first. A development section follows, where we encounter unexpected silences, unusual modulations, and moments of suspense. The two themes return in the recapitulation, both in Bb major, followed by a dazzling cadenza and a dramatic coda. It's evident that Beethoven considered this first movement an important one, as it takes up fully half of the entire concerto.

    — written by Ted Lucas, CHICO Board of Directors

Tzigane
Concert Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra
by Maurice Ravel

  • Mia Eddy is a violinist, music teacher, and college student. At age four, she began violin lessons with Diana Ray-Goodman. Mia then studied under Elise Goodman and in 2021 began studying with Alexander Tseitlin. Mia received honors in the Junior Chamber Music (JCM) program in 2018, has received multiple years of honors in MTAC Certificate of Merit, and won 3rd place in the MTAC VOCE competition. She held Concertmaster positions in Conejo Valley Youth Orchestra (CVYO) in both the Preparatory and Symphony Orchestras. Mia has performed chamber music with Alexander Tseitlin and plays in CVYO’s Virtuosi group. Last summer, she attended the Montecito International Music Festival and currently holds a fellowship as a first violinist with the California Young Artists Symphony (CYAS) playing under the baton of David Chan (New York Met) and Radu Paponiu (Naples Philharmonic). Mia teaches private lessons in beginner piano, violin, and cello through Eleos Music, in Newbury Park, and oversees a camerata group of 40-50 young students at Beacon Hill Classical Academy in Camarillo. Mia currently resides in Southern California with her parents and two sisters and also enjoys singing and playing guitar and cello. She looks forward to seeing where God leads through her pursuits as a teacher, student and performer and desires to give Him glory in all things. (Psalm 115:1)

  • “Music, I feel, must be emotional first and intellectual second.” This oft-quoted statement by Maurice Ravel tells us a lot about the nature of this work for violin and orchestra (originally for violin and piano). Not that it lacks structure or compositional craft, but high emotion reigns in this fanciful evocation of indigenous Romani music. Ravel learned a great deal about Romani music from the famous Hungarian violinist Jelly d’Arányi. She reportedly regaled him with “gypsy” tunes one evening, playing until dawn. Tzigane begins with the solo violin in a free, improvisatory cadenza-like passage, starting with an extended musical excursion on the G string alone. As the piece progresses, it becomes more and more challenging for the soloist, featuring octaves, double stops (two notes at the same time), rapid arpeggios, harmonics and left-hand pizzicatos. A harp solo signals the entrance of the orchestra, and a sense of pulse emerges in the cellos. As the violin plays one of the main dance-like themes, we hear the clarinet playing another, emphasizing the raised fourth degree of the regional minor scale we heard in the flute piece earlier. From here to the end, we are treated to a series of Romani-like melodies, each more impassioned than the last, ending with a fiery coda.

    — written by Ted Lucas, CHICO Board of Directors

Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major Op. 73
by Ludwig van Beethoven

III. Rondo, Allegro, ma non troppo

  • Benjamin Chung is a junior at Thousand Oaks High School. He started studying piano at the age of five with Julie Liu and is currently studying piano with Ornela Ervin. He has completed Advanced Level CM with Branch & State Honors and has been invited to play at the MTAC Convention previously. In the past years, he has won the Branch & Regional Finals for the SCJBF, acquired Gold Medal Honors for the MTAC Contemporary Festival, and the Festimantic Festival multiple times. Additionally, he has participated in JCM, played in the 2023 CASMEC All-State HS Symphonic Band, and performed with the Thousand Oaks Philharmonic in their Opus 57 & 63 concert. Aside from piano, Benjamin has played clarinet in the CASMEC All-State JH Symphonic Band, SCSBOA Honor Band, and Ventura County Honor Band. In his free time, he enjoys volunteering at Westminster Free Clinic, drawing, and hanging out with his friends.

  • Beethoven’s fifth and final piano concerto can be considered the last of the great Classical piano concertos, or the first of the great Romantic piano concertos. Beethoven straddled those two grand musical periods, with his early compositions mostly in the style of Haydn and Mozart (e.g., his three Piano Trios, Op. 1) and his late works clearly in the Romantic style (e.g., the late quartets Nos. 12-15 and the astounding Grosse Fugue, Op.133, his 16th and last quartet—all written when he was completely deaf). The circumstances under which Beethoven wrote this piano concerto were not the most ideal for composing music: Vienna, where he was living at the time, was under siege by Napoleon’s French army in May of 1809, and the sounds of the war were too much for him. He wrote, “What a disturbing, wild life around me; nothing but drums, cannons, human misery of every sort.” He retreated to his brother Kaspar’s basement and buried his head in pillows to protect what was left of his deteriorating hearing. The premiere was given in 1811 in Leipzig, with Friedrich Schneider as the soloist (Beethoven had stopped performing by this time). The third movement is marked Allegro, ma non troppo, and is in the form of a sonata-rondo (A B A C A B A) with C being a development section. The movement begins with the solo piano playing the off-beat first theme, not the orchestra. This innovative move must have been surprising and possibly disturbing to audiences of the time. The orchestra finally joins in and repeats the first theme. A series of scales and runs on the piano lead to the contrasting Schubertian-like second theme. The remainder of the movement is dominated by material made up of Theme A until we hear Theme B again near the end. With the final return of Theme A, Beethoven plays a couple of his tricks on us. First, there is no cadenza, and second, we are led to believe that the concerto will end quietly and peacefully. But a sudden, blazing coda ends one of the great piano concertos of all time.

    — written by Ted Lucas, CHICO Board of Directors

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