Welcome to the GBS UP BEAT: Articles, News and Insights by Phyllis A.S. Boros, a feature writer, who previously was the award-winning senior entertainment/arts reporter for Hearst Media/Connecticut. In these periodic updates, Phyllis will offer everything from behind-the-scenes tidbits to what you can expect at coming concerts.

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SEASON 79

Posted on December 8, 2024

Rachel L. Waddell

by Phyllis A.S. Boros

For Rachel L. Waddell, the opportunity to conduct the Greater Bridgeport Symphony is a career highlight.

The accomplished “thirty-something” has about a decade of experience on podiums here and abroad, but the Connecticut native has yet to practice her art as a professional in her home state.

That situation will change on Saturday, Dec. 14, when she is scheduled to lead the GBS as the fourth and final candidate for the post of music director. The winning candidate will be announced in Spring, and will conduct the 79th season finale on May 10.

In a recent telephone chat from the Rocky Mountain state — where she is the recently appointed director of orchestras at Colorado State University — Waddell said the story-telling aspect of orchestral music is particularly dear to her, as is the opportunity to work in a collaborative setting with a variety of musicians and guests.

Those passions will be on display at the next GBS concert, when she will have the opportunity to conduct a program being billed as “thrilling, enlightening and family-friendly, all at once.” Highlights will include Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” featuring guest narrator Jamie Bernstein, the daughter of the late superstar composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo will contribute to the concert, providing visuals of its wolves.

Also on the bill are Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade,” inspired by tales of The Arabian Nights; a musical version of “ ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” narrated by local personality Tony Wellman; and a new piece by Chickasaw composer Jerod Tate, “Chokfi,” for String Orchestra and Percussion (“Chokfi” is described as a trickster rabbit in Southeast American Indian legends).

The other candidates for the GBS post — Eduardo Leandro, Monroe native Joshua Gersen and Leslie B. Dunner — also have strong musical connections to Connecticut, having studied with the late Maestro Gustav Meier. The Swiss conductor, considered among the world’s greatest conducting teachers, served as GBS music director for more than four decades. 

Growing  up in the Windsor-Enfield area, Waddell received a bachelor’s degree in composition from the Hartt School of Music in West Hartford before going on to receive a master of conducting degree from Northern Arizona University and a doctorate in 2015 from the University of Nevada in orchestral conducting. She is the former director of orchestral activities and assistant professor at New York’s University of Rochester. In 2022, she made her Vienna debut, conducting Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” as part of the Vienna Opera Academy.

In her application portfolio to the GBS search committee, Waddell said her goal would be to use “music to transcend and teach [as] I passionately serve our community through inspirational concerts and educational programs.“

“As a music director, I am deeply committed to the vision of the orchestra as a 21st century ensemble, and I value the opportunity to share my ideas in building upon the Greater Bridgeport Symphony’s momentum as it moves into this next chapter. I also offer a perspective as a Connecticut native. I am intimately familiar with Connecticut’s cultural scene, demographics and opportunities for collaboration and partnership. As your music director we will work together to continue to grow your organization and its visibility.”

Waddell said music — particularly voice and composition — fascinated her since school days. Her interest in conducting came via musical theater as a teen when she then envisioned herself as Broadway-bound. She loved performing, but came to realize that rehearsals were her favorite part of the collaborative learning/teaching process, working as a cohesive member of an ensemble.  Among the many roles of a conductor, she noted, is as a teacher, or maestra, to convey the composer’s intention and to give life to the notes written on paper.

If chosen to lead the GBS,  she would be the first woman to do so. She said she would look forward to focusing on creative programming to ensure audiences grow. “Our concerts will offer thoughtfully curated experiences that meaningfully connect with our communities through striking collaborations, internationally renowned guests and artistic excellence. 

“I adamantly believe that programming is an orchestra’s most powerful statement; an opportunity to share what we value and define our role as a cultural and community resource.“

CONCERT DETAILS

The GBS will perform Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Ave., Bridgeport. Tickets range from $18 to $72, and may be purchased at GBS.org or by calling (203) 576-0263. Free parking is available.

Reminder: Concerts this season begin at 7:30 p.m., 30 minutes earlier than in previous years.

Posted on November 5, 2024

Leslie B. Dunner

by Phyllis A.S. Boros

Insatiable curiosity transported Leslie B. Dunner from a “rough patch” in childhood — living for a time with his Nigerian family in an East Harlem abandoned building  — to the podium at many of the world’s finest concert halls, opera houses and ballet theaters. 

 On Saturday Nov. 9, the celebrated conductor comes to the Klein Memorial Auditorium as the third candidate to vie for the position of music director of the Greater Bridgeport Symphony. He will conduct the orchestra in Haydn’s Symphony No. 6, Ginastera’s Variaciones Concertantes, and Gershwin’s Concerto in F with pianist Norman Krieger as soloist.

 As with the other candidates so far, Eduardo Leandro and Joshua Gersen, Dunner had studied with the late Maestro Gustav Meier, who served as GBS music director for more than four decades. (Meier was considered among the world’s greatest conducting teachers.)

 In his application letter to the GBS, Dunner said he believes he would contribute greatly to the GBS’ future growth.   “As a seasoned professional symphonic, ballet, operatic, and musical theater conductor, I bring many skills of interpretive prowess to the podium. 

 “It would be exciting to become part of the thriving seasons at the Greater Bridgeport Symphony. Now is the time to embrace and unify history, culture, and practice in ways that never before have been attempted. Though I have spent the last few months recovering from surgery due to a racially motivated incident against me (attacked on a Manhattan bus) I remain steadfast in my belief that through education and information sharing, people from differing circumstances can find greater understanding and common ground.”

Known as an innovative programmer, Dunner said he has “a reputation as an orchestra-builder in the professional orchestral arena. … I aim to be a major catalyst in initiating a fresh look at American programming,”  (championing) “works of both new and marginalized composers of our time” as well as the standard repertoire.

 Dunner now serves as conductor of the renowned Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra in Michigan and as interim artistic/music director/conductor of the South Shore Opera Company of Chicago. In a career spanning about four decades, Dunner has received scores of awards and presided over numerous world premiers, performing with major orchestras and companies throughout the world (including recent performances with the New York Philharmonic).

 And among those he has performed for are Nelson Mandela in South Africa, First Lady Raisa Gorbachev in the former Soviet Union, Princess Diana at Covent Garden in London and President Bill Clinton here in the United States.

 “As principal conductor with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and as music director of the Joffrey Ballet, I’ve toured nationally and internationally through much of the U.S. as well as South America, Europe, Scandinavia and South Africa. As guest conductor with Opera Africa, I have conducted in Johannesburg and Pretoria as well as on tour to Oslo, Norway. Symphonically, I have conducted with virtually every major American orchestra, and I have toured as conductor with the Detroit Symphony . . . for concerts on tour internationally to Japan,” he noted.

 In a recent telephone chat, Dunner pointed out that “music was not part of my upbringing.” It was in middle school that he heard a member of the school band performing on clarinet and became intrigued. “It wasn’t the sound of the instrument” that piqued his interest. Rather, he wanted to understand how the instrument worked … about the mechanics of playing.

His teachers quickly realized that Dunner’s inquisitive nature was a natural gift — one that embraced numerous fields of study including music. He also came to love the clarinet (on which he continues to perform as a guest soloist.)

The recipient of scholarships, he would go on to receive a bachelor of arts degree in clarinet performance in 1978 from the University of Rochester’s  Eastman School of Music; a master’s degree in music theory and musicology in 1979 from Queens College, New York; and a doctorate in 1982 in orchestral conducting from the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music.

 In his spare time, Dunner volunteers with several educational groups. “I don’t believe in vacations” per se, he said, laughing. He chooses to combine travel with “a broad spectrum of ethnic and cultural pursuits.” For example, he has done research on sharks — cage diving in South Africa; and working on lion conservation in Zimbabwe. “To think outside the box, one must first live outside the box.”

 Dunner added:  “It’s been a wonderful career. It’s time to give something back” through teaching and working with smaller artistic companies. I’m reminded now about how much I love working with professional organizations” like the GBS.

CONCERT DETAILS

The GBS’ third concert of the “Countdown to 80” takes place Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Ave, Bridgeport. Rachel Waddell, the final candidate for the music director position, will conduct on Dec. 14. Whomever is chosen as the new director will conduct the final concert of the 79th season on May 10.

Tickets range from $18 to $72, and may be purchased at GBS.org or at (203) 576-0263. Free parking is available.

Reminder: Concerts this season are being performed at 7:30 p.m., 30 minutes earlier than in previous years.

Posted on September 15, 2024

SEASON 79

Gersen Returns “Home” to GBS

by Phyllis A.S. Boros

Despite  performing with many of the prestigious orchestras in Europe and North America, Maestro Joshua Gersen maintains there’s no place quite like “home” — on the stage of Bridgeport’s Klein Memorial Auditorium.  There, as a 16-year-old wunderkind, Gersen made his professional debut— with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony.

On Saturday, Oct. 5,  the 40-year-old Manhattan-based conductor returns to Bridgeport to conduct the opening concert of the 79th season. He is the second candidate to vie for the position of principal conductor and music director following the departure of Eric Jacobsen in 2023.

From scores of domestic and international applications, four finalists have been chosen, with each to conduct a regular-season concert. The winner will be announced in May, following deliberations by the GBS board, musicians and music scholars, in combination with audience response.

On the program are Carlos Simon’s “Fate Now Conquers,” Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor K. 550 and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F Minor Op. 36.

In a recent telephone chat, Gersen said he has great affection for the area and for the GBS, which supported his early ambition to become a conductor. As a teen, the Monroe resident had the opportunity to audition for the then-GBS music director/conductor Gustav Meier, who was awed by the youngster’s innate talent.  “He’s the real thing,” the late Maestro Meier commented at the time.

Gersen noted that the GBS played “a very important part of my own musical upbringing and development. It is important to me to see the orchestra thrive …

My greatest joy would be to give back to this community which has given so much to me.” As an added bonus, should he be named GBS chief, he would have the opportunity to frequently visit with his parents (who now live in Fairfield) and area friends.

Gersen was fascinated with conducting from an early age, “waving around my arms” to the music “as a three or four year-old.” he said, laughing. Throughout his childhood, Gersen played violin, as well as trumpet, French horn and percussion.

As a teen, Gersen studied privately with Meier, who was then considered one of the world’s greatest teachers of conducting. Following graduation from Masuk High School in 2002, Gersen would go on to receive degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, with a bachelor’s degree in  composition and a master’s degree in conducting. He completed his post-graduate training, receiving  his conducting diploma, from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 2010.

Soon after leaving Curtis, he moved to Miami, Fla., to serve as conducting fellow and assistant conductor of the New World Symphony, until 2014.

In a letter to the GBS, Gersen wrote recently of his Florida post: “Not only did I work closely with (renowned maestro) Michael Tilson Thomas while I was there, but I also had the unique experience of working very closely with the administration at the New World Symphony in developing the many new kinds of innovative concerts the organization has become associated with.

“With the opening of the New World Center in Miami Beach and all the technological capabilities and possibilities that came along with it, we experimented a lot with changing and enhancing the concert experience with the hope of attracting a (more diverse) and younger audience.” All are major goals at the GBS,  he added.

He then moved to the New York Youth Symphony as music director (2012-2017) and the New York Philharmonic as assistant conductor (2015-2018).

“As the Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic, not only did I have the opportunity to work regularly with and conduct one of the world’s best orchestras, but I also had the chance to work with and observe many of the world’s best conductors, soloists, and other guest artists (who) regularly came to work with the orchestra.

“I learned a great deal in my time with the Philharmonic about how a top symphony orchestra functions, and am eager to implement what I learned with an orchestra of my own,” he wrote in his letter.

He served as interim director of orchestras at Boston University (2019-2020). His resume is now full of coveted guest conducting spots with such major orchestras as the San Fransisco Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Chicago Symphony at Ravinia Festival, Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Toronto Symphony, RTE Concert Orchestra of Dublin, Ireland, North Carolina Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, and Hannover Opera of Hannover, Germany. Guest roles have also been with the orchestras of San Antonio, Alabama, New Jersey, Indianapolis, Phoenix and the Colorado Music Festival.

As GBS music director, Gersen said a top priority would be “finding ways (to choose programming) that reflects the area’s interests … and is accessible. That’s always the trick.”

There is the “myth that (symphony concerts) are only for the upper class and sophisticated music lovers. That’s not the case at all. We need to de-mystify” the experience, he said. Concerts “are for everyone, a place to enjoy great music and be comfortable.”

NEW SEASON, NEW TIME

The first candidate to vie for the permanent position was Eduardo Leandro, who served as principal guest conductor for the entire 78th season.   Other candidates who will lead concerts this season are Leslie B. Dunner on Nov. 9 and Rachel Waddell on Dec. 14.  On Saturday, May 10, the new music director will be introduced to the Greater Bridgeport community and conduct his/her first concert as the new leader.

All concerts will be presented at the Klein Memorial Auditorium, 910 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport.  They will be presented at a new earlier starting time: 7:30 p.m. (as opposed to 8).  Free parking is available.

Individual  tickets and discounted subscription packages are available at gbs.org and by calling (203) 576-0263.

————

Phyllis A.S. Boros is the former senior arts/entertainment writer for Hearst Media in Connecticut.

Posted on March 11, 2024

There are few ways better to celebrate the season of rebirth than with concerts full of joyous music.

Greater Bridgeport Symphony musicians, staff and Principal Guest Conductor Eduardo Leandro are now preparing to resume their 78th season on March 16 with crowd-pleasers Debussy and Schubert on the bill.

The 2023-24 season finale is set for April 13 with Beethoven’s light-hearted Symphony No.8.  (The 79th season will open in autumn.)  Both concerts are at 8 p.m. at the Klein Memorial Auditorium in Bridgeport.

A few odds-and-ends, thoughts and reminders follow.

Reflections on a youth well spent

Introducing kids to the arts at an early age can have an enormous influence on how they develop into curious adults. Psychologists agree.

It is no wonder, then, that I would become a “culture vulture” at a very young age, having enjoyed the benefits of a Stratford public schools education that was then committed to exposing students to a world view.

With French classes, we visited restaurants and cafes in New Haven and Manhattan, where I tasted my first onion soup gratinee and escargots swimming in butter, and bantered with waiters in a “foreign” language; with mixed chorus, we headed to Lincoln Center, where I experienced my first opera, Puccini’s “Tosca”; with English classes, we were introduced every spring to numerous plays by the Bard and Shaw at the renowned (hometown) American Shakespeare Festival Theatre; with music appreciation classes, we became familiar with some of the greatest orchestral music ever composed. Wonderful memories.

Nowadays, however, with public arts budgets shrinking, the job of culturally educating our children falls primarily to families. And making that responsibility a bit easier are community nonprofits that offer substantial discounts for family groups. The Greater Bridgeport Symphony is one of these.

The orchestra is now offering a Family Pack Deal: All those under age 19 are charged $10 for any seat in the house, when accompanied by adults, who will be given a 15 % discount on their tickets.

GBS has an annual budget of about $480,000.  Of this, only about 21% comes from ticket sales — still down significantly from pre-Pandemic days.  A good deal of the rest comes from grants, foundations, local businesses and advertising.  The Annual Fund is an essential part of operating revenue.  Made up of donations from patrons (the majority below $500), the Annual Fund accounts for over 20% of the annual budget.  For the 2023-24 season, the Annual Fund Drive netted just shy of $100,000 from patron donations.  “Costs have risen dramatically, so our Annual Fund and Corporate Sponsorships are more vital than ever” said GBS Executive Director, Phyllis Rhodes Cortese.  A new Annual Fund Drive for 2024-25 begins at the March concert with season subscriptions for the GBS 79th season going on sale soon.

Money matters

Keep in mind that arts organizations are still recovering from Covid-created financial concerns.

“More than ever, the GBS needs your support so that we may continue to grow and thrive,” according to a recent statement from the orchestra. “Like all arts organizations, we are coming back from a very hard time, and it will be awhile before audiences return to levels we have seen in the past.”

In order to survive, GBS audiences need to embrace the orchestra as its own and commit to supporting this community gem,” said Maestro Eduardo Leandro.

The search goes on

At the moment, there is nothing new to report on the GBS’ search for a permanent Conductor/Music Director. The GBS board is in the midst of processing applications “from around the world” and is narrowing its choices, Cortese said. Update September 9, 2024: See above for exciting news on our four finalists for Music Director – Eduardo Leandro, Joshua Gersen, Leslie Dunner and Rachel Waddell.

March program notes

The GBS “will usher in the call of Spring’’ with a Flute Fusion program, on March 16. Featured will be flutist Keith Bonner, who is a member of the Grammy-nominated Borealis Wind Quintet of New York.

GBS President Mark Halstead said the concert will showcase Bonner’s virtuosity with Debussy’s “Afternoon of a Faun” and Schubert’s Symphony No. 5.  “The Faun is one of those emotional, lyrical pieces that just about everyone knows. Seasoned symphony-goers will be excited to hear it played, and newcomers will recognize its themes immediately,” Halstead noted. 

“Schubert’s Symphony No. 5 is a gem, where the 19-year-old Schubert breaks from Beethoven’s influence; it’s lively, fresh tone is the perfect signal for spring, and its beautiful flute sections tie it to the other pieces in the program. It remains to this day one of his most popular works.”

In addition, the concert will highlight Paul Schoenfield’s  Klezmer Rondos, “another composition showing the magic of the flute. Composed in 1989, Schoenfield integrated the traditional sounds of Ashkenazi Jewish celebrations with full orchestration.” 

GBS board chair Doris Harrington said the concert is sponsored by the family of Jennifer C. Moorin, who passed away in January. “Along with her husband, retired local attorney Herbert Moorin (a longtime orchestra trustee), Jennifer was a prominent supporter and ardent worker in many local charities. Jennifer was a bright light at GBS for decades. We are saddened by her loss but know that her spirit is well-expressed in Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, which we’ll be dedicating and performing in her honor.” 

For further information, call (203) 576-0263.

Posted on September 24, 2023

78th Anniversary Season

As the Greater Bridgeport Symphony approaches its 78th anniversary season, it strives to recover from the devastating effects of the Covid-19 shut-down with a renewed sense of purpose, a new executive director and a new guest conductor. 

“As Bridgeport goes, so goes the Greater Bridgeport Symphony.” For decades that has been the mantra in area music circles. The orchestra, it seems, continues to ride the same roller-coaster that has carried the city though bleak times as well as periods of regional economic success.

For the 2023-24 season, which opens Oct. 14 at Bridgeport’s Klein Memorial Auditorium, the all-professional orchestra is in high spirits, believing that it will soon re-capture its momentum as one of the state’s leading arts organizations. In part because Bridgeport’s reputation continues to improve while the GBS is entering a new era with Brazilian Eduardo Leandro as principal guest conductor.

Covid-19

Executive Director Phyllis Rhodes Cortese notes that many state arts organizations, — orchestras, opera and dance companies, theaters and presenting venues — were forced to suspend their seasons during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic because of state guidelines. Some did not survive. But Bridgeport’s “community gem” persevered, presenting a season of watch-at-home web concerts during 2020-21, with tickets sold at a discount. Remarkably, it also presented an outdoor 2020 summer pops concert — in honor of longtime GBS benefactor Doris Harrington — at a Trumbull park with “pods” of friends and family sitting together in assigned seats — all wearing masks. Local philanthropists, corporations and individual small donors are helping with the rebuilding, she adds.

No doubt helping the symphony in its effort to grow is the public’s renewed desire to be out and about post-pandemic, says Cortese, who from 2008-22 served as the executive director of the former state-owned Charles Ives performing arts center in Danbury, shuttered by the pandemic.

In the early 1990s, when the city and symphony were struggling, the late GBS Maestro Gustav Meier repeatedly observed that audiences had traded attending live orchestral concerts for “cocooning” at home with their sophisticated sound systems, electronic games and home theaters. Meier opined that the situation would eventually change when music-lovers tired of being home-bound and came to realize that few musical experiences can top a live performance. True, then and now.

Orchestra memories

Bolstered by a growing economy, many post-World War II Americans were eager to spend money on new or better homes, furnishings and autos and on having fun — dining out, nightclub entertainment, theater-going and concerts.

In the pages of the Bridgeport Post, Sunday Post and morning Telegram, news stories often accompanied by several photos would reflect the excitement and glamor of concert nights — men in suits and tuxedos and women in cocktail dresses and gowns.

Audiences came in this boom era to hear magnificent orchestral music from various periods — in particular classical, romantic and modern. Composers such as Brahms and Mozart, Tchaikovsky and Gershwin come to mind. And they also came to be part of a community celebration.

Leandro, who also enjoys successful careers as a solo percussionist and educator, says he is committed to turning concerts into gala events during his one-season commitment to the GBS (while the orchestra continues its international search for a permanent conductor following the nine-season reign of Eric Jacobsen). Leandro will conduct all five concerts.

In a recent interview, Leandro said in many cultures, orchestra halls are considered as community centers, ”a place where you can feel welcome, a place for everyone who wants to hear great music without feeling intimidated.”

To that end, the theme of the coming season is “Building Bridges” among various community segments.

Long line of greats

Leandro follows in a line of distinguished conductors to helm the GBS. Owing to its proximity to the Yale University graduate music school and the New York metro area, the GBS has always been able to draw from a highly talented pool of musicians and conductors.

On the podium for the first concert in February 1947 was Canadian-born Daniel Saidenberg, who would go on to open a Manhattan art gallery and serve as Pablo Picasso’s American representative. He was followed by Jonel Perlea (1955-65), who had conducted the Bucharest (Romania) Opera, Milan’s La Scala and New York’s Metropolitan Opera. Jose Iturbi — pianist, conductor and MGM film star — was on the podium until 1972, followed by Meier.

The Swiss-born Meier, considered among the best conducting teachers in the United States, was music director/conductor for more than 40 years, creating a legion of devoted followers. Jacobsen, who was named music director in 2014 and served through April, now wears many hats, including as music director of the Orlando Philharmonic and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

 Phyllis A.S. Boros is a feature writer, who previously was the award-winning senior entertainment/arts reporter for Hearst Media/Connecticut.