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AMERICAN VOICES
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Programming Update
Emily Levin and Ebonee Thomas present a
program that showcases the diverse and
unique voices of composers from the
Americas. Featuring works by Valerie
Coleman, Amy Beach, Astor Piazzolla, and
Vincent Persichetti, these perfectly paired
instruments will demonstrate a depth and
color that belie any saccharine-tinged
assumptions about the flute, the harp, and
their players.
Ebonee Thomas, flute
Cézanne Quartet
Formed in 2014, the Cézanne Quartet is based in Dallas where they maintain an active performing career. From 2015-2017, they were named the Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at SMU Meadows School of the Arts, becoming the first quartet chosen for the fellowship. At the 2015 Coltman Chamber Music Competition, they received Second Place Ensemble in the Senior Division, and in 2017, they were named Semi-Finalists at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition. The group has performed with Fine Arts Chamber Players, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, Mimir Chamber Music Festival, Music in the Mountains Festival, Bridge the Gap Chamber Series, Meadows Virtuosi Players, Texas Christian University CelloFest, Open Classical Artist Series, Fort Worth Chamber Music Society, and Ensemble 75. They have collaborated with artists such as Andres Diaz, Matt Albert, Aviram Reichert, Lucille Chung, the Escher Quartet, and the Altius Quartet. Locally, they are frequent performers with the Avant Chamber Ballet, which presents shows at the Moody Performing Arts Center, NorthPark Center and throughout the DFW area, and this will be their second time presenting a concert with FACP. Recently, Cézanne celebrated the release of their first album titled
Retrospection, which includes works by contemporary American composer Kevin Puts, as well as the sixth and final quartets written by Felix Mendelssohn and Béla Bartók. Recorded in the beautiful Caruth Auditorium on the SMU campus, it is available for streaming on Spotify. The quartet is named after the French impressionist painter Paul Cézanne because of the first work the group studied together: the French impressionist composer Claude Debussy's String Quartet in G minor.
Christie Vela
Christie Vela is a director, actor, and producer of theater who has called Dallas home since 1993. Ms. Vela has worked all over the Metroplex and currently serves as Associate Artistic Director at Theatre Three. She is an artistic company member at Kitchen Dog Theatre and Second Thought Theatre, and is a founding member of the Diane and Hal Brierly Resident Acting Company at The Tony Award Winning Dallas Theater Center. Ms. Vela also directs film and enjoys
talking about horror movies and the wealth of delicious tacos available in Dallas via her podcast “Terror and Tacos.”
She has directed the film Final Dress which is to be released in 2021.
___________________
A Note on the Program from Artistic Director Emily Levin
Welcome to you all, and happy 2021! As a brief respite from the chaos of the world, I am very excited to share
today’s program with you, which offers you the genius of Beethoven alongside the Queen of Crime, Agatha
Christie. Combining music and literature is a passion of mine (my album Something Borrowed explores this
theme), and today’s concert is for music lovers and bookworms alike. The wonderful Cézanne Quartet returns to the FACP stage, joined by actress Christie Vela, and while I shouldn’t have favorites, I believe this is one of the highlights of our season. Get out your magnifying glass, and let’s solve a mystery!
About the Concert
Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet Op. 95, nicknamed “Serioso,” is the last of Beethoven’s middle period
quartets. This piece is full of angst and tumult, apparent from the very beginning in the fiery unison opening. Sudden pauses, surprising harmonies, and abrupt changes of mood characterize this piece, and the odd ending in a major key only underlines the twisted nature of the music.
As the music unfolds its drama, Christie Vela reads the text of Agatha Christie’s short story “A Christmas Tragedy.” Featuring the talents of Miss Jane Marple, a centenarian Victorian with a fondness for knitting and a “mind like a kitchen sink,” the intrigue and drama of the plot are mirrored in the music. As Miss Marple narrates in her gentle, sometimes
rambling way, she tells of her holiday in a hotel resort. It comes as no surprise that where Miss Marple goes, murder soon follows.
I sat down with Beethoven’s score and the short story and looked for points of natural pause that would allow for
music to transition to text, and vice versa. I also paid attention to the musical drama, and tried to align it with the murder. There is no better piece to frame a murder mystery than this string quartet, and the result is an incredible fusion of words and music.
String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor Op. 95, "Serioso"
I. Allegro con brio
II. Allegretto ma non troppo
III. Allegro assai vivace ma serioso
IV. Larghetto espressivo; Allegretto agitato; Allegro
Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770
—
1827)
Incorporated throughout the musical performance
“A Christmas Tragedy”
Agatha Christie
(1890
—
1976)
Cézanne Quartet
Eleanor Dunbar, violin
Lauren Haseltine, violin
Steven Juarez, viola
Elizabeth White, cello
and Christie Vela
Founder’s Circle ($3,000+)
Anonymous
Virginia & Robert Dupuy Fanchon & Howard Hallam Norma & Don Stone
Artist’s Circle ($1,000-$2,999) Delia Duson
Larry & Lori Hutchison Cindy Karm
Judy & John Muscarella Stephen Penrose Susan & John Poulton
Rogene Russell & Doug Howard Deborah Mashburn & David Boddie Enika & Richard Schulze
Sally Smith*
Nancy & John Solana Daniel Stampfel Cindy & Arthur Vaughn Michael & Don Welsh Karen & Jim Wiley Anne Witherspoon Celeste Yeager
Benefactor ($500-$999) Catherine & Eric Barr Steven Engwall Advised Fund
Rita Sue & Alan Gold Philanthropic Fund of the Dallas Jewish Community Foundation
Barbara & Peter Grenier Emily Guthrie
The Louise W. Kahn Endowment Fund of The Dallas Foundation
Steve Li James Mulligan Rebecca & Brad Todd Amy & Alan Vanderneut
_________________
* Deceased
Patron ($250-$499) Ben Alvord
Robert L. Brielmaier Mary & G. Timothy Hardin John Fox Holt, III
Alexander Kerr Theresa & Jeff Kurz Jessie Makil Alex McDonald Judy & Mike McIlwain Eileen & Rudy Moras W. Paul Radman Michael B. Ray
Wilfred & Nancy Roberts Suzanne & James Robertson Wendy Struck
Bill Woster
Supporter ($100-$249) Timothy Anderson Jane Linn Aten J. Lee Baldwin Lorlee Bartos
John Bassler
Carla & Larry Carnes Claudia Choi
Mark L. Cohen Betty Taylor Cox Carol Crowe Louise Delano Wei Dong Joel Emanuel Tony Farrer
Foerch Family Charitable Fund Bob Forner
Marcia & John Richard Hawley Michael Hazel
Angela Hendricks
Wanda Wilson & Rick Holt Carolyn & Glenn Hood Trina Johnson
Sally King Charitable Fund Helen Lee
Michael Legacy Harriet Little
Yann Maa
LuAnne & Richard Malnory Anne Mattice
Marcy & David McDonald Leo McPherson
Margaret Moore Kim Noltemy Nathan Olson Charles Price
Noel David Pullum & Darryl P. Clement Sonja Bilger Romanowski
Karen Schnackenberg Eileen Shibata Elizabeth Shorey Nancy Shutt Sue & Barry Slotnick Melanie Smith Janet & Bill Spruce Joanna St. Angelo Marcella Stark Helen Stettler Bob Stoller Mark Stoltz
Robert Brandt Taylor Cindy & Fred Tibbals Laurie & Rob Tranchin Suzanna Veldhuis Terrence Wagner Michael Wilson Joyce & Glenn Wittig Katie Wolber Keitha Wright Aileen & Carl Yang
Matching Gift Programs Bank of America
ExxonMobil Hewlett Packard Hunt Cares Campaign LPL Financial
Toyota
_________________
Donors as of deadline. Please contact FACP with questions or updates:
music@fineartschamberplayers.org
Online: Visit FineArtsChamberPlayers.org/donate or scan the QR code on the back of this program.
Mail: Checks can be mailed to FACP at 3630 Harry Hines Blvd., #302 / Dallas 75219. Please note, we are experiencing a month delay in mail while our office building remains closed.
Shopping: Loyalty cards at Tom Thumb and Kroger can benefit Fine Arts Chamber Players.
F
ANCHON
& H
OWARD
H
ALLAM
Special Thanks to Christie Vela
Board of Directors
Anne Witherspoon,
President
Cindy Vaughn,
Treasurer
Cindy Karm,
Secretary
Patricio Gallo
Daniel Stampfel
Donald J. Stone
Barbara Sypult
Subhashini Tripuraneni
Celeste Yeager
Advisory Board
Sue S. Bancroft
Howard Hallam
Larry Hutchison
Lori Hutchison
Jessie Makil
Staff
Emily Levin
Hallam Family Concerts Artistic Director
Alex McDonald
Basically Beethoven Festival Director
Emily Guthrie
Executive Director
Co-Founder
Rogene Russell
Mission Statement
To enrich and enhance the quality of life of
North Texas area residents, especially families
and children, through free concerts of classical
music and educational activities
All FACP programs are free,
but we need your support
to keep them that way.
Visit
www.FineArtsChamberPlayers.org/donate
Or scan this QR code with your smartphone’s camera.
3630 Harry Hines Blvd., Ste. 302 | Dallas, Texas 75219 | 214-520-2219 music@fineartschamberplayers.org | www.FineArtsChamberPlayers.org