Hello and Welcome to the 2022-2023 season of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra!
After an unusually long and drawn-out summer, the Musicians of the ASO are more than ready to return to the stage. We have a truly amazing line-up of repertoire to present to you this year, and we’re so excited to get started! Please join us for a concert and be sure to say hi to a friendly musician. See you there!
Center Stage
Zakaria Enikeev – Assistant Principal Viola
ASOM in the Community
Sarah Dennis, violin
Over the summer, ASO musicians worked on several community projects at home in Birmingham. Our spring brass concert fundraiser for Ukraine connected us to the Ukrainian community in Birmingham, and that led to a collaboration with Independent Presbyterian Church and Sister Cities in a Ukrainian Freedom Festival event that benefitted Alabama-based refugee programs. Hundreds of people were able to sample home-made Ukrainian dishes, listen to performances by ASO Musicians of traditional Ukrainian tunes and music by Ukrainian composers, and hear from Ukrainian pastors and diplomatic officials direct from Ukraine. We have gotten to know some Ukrainians living in our community fleeing violence, as well as aid workers helping with legal and humanitarian challenges, including Scotty Colson, our honorary Ukraine consul. A Ukrainian family sheltering from the war was also in attendance at our two free community concerts in September, which benefited two local nonprofits.
ASO Brass Benefit Concert
ASO Musicians and ASO Music Director Carlos Izcaray performing at the Ukrainian Freedom Festival
Nicholas Ciulla, Assistant Principal Trumpet
One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center was the focus of our first concert on September 17 at Canterbury United Methodist Church. One Place is unique in that it gathers resources under one roof—“one place”—for victims of domestic and sexual violence. One Place is a free center which brings together health workers, counselors, legal aid, and law enforcement here in Birmingham. One Place also provides programs to aid in healing from trauma. One such program is Camp Hope, which works with children through art, music, and more. We are excited to work more with these children over the coming year.
Our second community concert on September 18 at Greater Emmanuel Temple Holiness Church spotlighted a program building community through low-cost, accessible music lessons and ensemble experiences. Scrollworks Music School began in 2007 with donations and volunteers. Scrollworks is modeled on El Sistema, a project started in Venezuela to make music education available to everyone, which helped form artists including Gustavo Dudamel and our own ASO Music Director, Carlos Izcaray. Currently housed at St. Paul United Methodist in Birmingham, Scrollworks has built connections to programs at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. Over the years, several ASO Musicians have taught Scrollworks students, and the Music Opportunity Program orchestra holds joint auditions with the Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra. Every ASO Musician knows the importance of music instruction and ensemble experience to develop students’ abilities, and we believe these experiences bring healing, build unity, and create a positive outlet for everyone.
Richard Cassarino (left), Assistant Principal Bass, Alex Horton (right), Principal Bass
Photos: Ryan Beach, Principal Trumpet, Kathleen Costello, Principal Clarinet, Brad Whitfield, Assistant Principal Clarinet
Upcoming Concerts
With our first subscription concert coming up later this week, we caught up with four of our ASO musicians to see what they’re most excited about playing this season.
Principal Trumpet Ryan Beach on Pictures at an Exhibition:
“Pictures has so many great moments for the trumpet and brass section. The piece opens up with one of our most famous excerpts, and I’m looking forward to being able to play it with my wonderful colleagues. This piece is challenging for the trumpet in a few ways. The first, and most obvious, is how many exposed solos there are. Another challenging aspect is keeping a full, beautiful, and strong sound all the way through the final movement, the Great Gate at Kiev. My favorite moment of the piece is in the Catacombs movement. This movement is depicting a dark tomb, and the music is heavy and tense. At one point, the tension holds, and a trumpet solo cuts through with quiet beauty, as if there is a light in the darkness.”
Associate Principal Clarinet Brad Whitfield on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3:
“Every time I perform Beethoven’s Third Symphony I remember how much I love it. It was the first Beethoven symphony that I performed in its entirety, and I still remember the feeling of sheer joy during and after the performance. The work is quite the endurance test, both physically and mentally. Each movement is so good, but I think the French Horn trio in the third movement is one of my favorite moments. Since I sit right in front of the horns, I have the best seat in the house!”
Percussionist Bill Williams on Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story:
“My first experience with West Side Story was in a summer community theater production of the show. I was between 9th and 10th grade and the only percussionist on the project. Since then I’ve played countless settings of the music and always enjoy both the music and the memories! My favorite moment in the piece is when the long building tension in the song “Cool” finally erupts in no-holds-barred big jazz brass machismo. I hope you enjoy hearing it as much as we will enjoy playing it!”
Associate Concertmaster Paul Halberstadt on Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2:
“I’m really excited to play this piece for so many reasons! I love the fast moving notes, the pulsing bass line, the nimble dancing of the instruments and the uplifting moments. But I especially love the unique spirit of the Brandenburg Concertos. There are four soloists and each player brings unique musical flavors to the concoction, but we work as a team. My challenge lies in shaping each note and phrase with beautiful meaning. Bach’s musical writing is so well crafted that you can hear every different line that forms the harmonic structure of the piece. My favorite moment in the piece hands down is the beginning of the third movement because my dad used to whistle the trumpet theme to me.”
