On Saturday, November 16 (7:30 pm), the Tacoma Youth Symphony will open its regular season with “Myths and Legends.” The concert will musically explore myths and legends from around the world with Jean Sibelius’ En Saga, Claude Deussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, and Antonín Dvořák’s The Noon Witch. The concert will also feature the world premiere of Guabancex, la Juracán by Carlos Velez and the Washington State premiere of Pulse by Alex Burtzos.
Both revered and feared by the Taino peoples of the Caribbean, Guabancex was the volatile zemi (goddess) of hurricanes, bringing terrible winds and flooding to the islands when displeased. Guabancex is often depicted as having either a frowning face or blowing lips, with arms shaped like an “S,” much like the wind bands of a hurricane. Given her dominion over the weather, she was an integral figure within the Taino religion, as agriculture was central to their way of life.
Guabancex, la Juracán was commissioned by Dr. James Welsch, Music Director of the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association in Tacoma, WA, and the piece is dedicated to him, and the TYSA. Incorporating rhythmic and tonal structures commonly found in Caribbean dance music, Guabancex is represented as a figure of both celebration and terror, with rapid shifts in the musical texture and mood depicting her temperamental disposition.
The music of Carlos Velez is rich in colorful scoring and charm, often evoking a sense of whimsy and fantasy. Featuring a number of works for various chamber ensembles, his music has been performed in venues across the United States and Japan. As a performer, Carlos has had a remarkably versatile career, serving as the solo flutist, and founding member of NeXT ens., as well as the Cincinnati Real-Time Composers. Dr. Velez studied flute at Stetson University, and the Conservatoire Olivier Messiaen Ecole Nationale de Musique, Danse, et Theatre du Grand Avignon in Avignon, France. He holds degrees in composition from the Cleveland Institute of Music, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Stetson University.
Dr. Velez has taught music theory, aural skills and sight singing, composition, and flute at Valencia College in Orlando, FL., as well as compositon, music technology, and music theory at Stetson University in DeLand, FL. He is currently Assistant Professor of Music at Western Oregon University, where he teaches music theory, aural skills, composition, and flute.
Pulse is a word which can convey both musical and biological meaning. It refers, of course, to the movement of blood through the body; it has also long referred to music’s perceived beat, which for many listeners has the effect of moving sound through time. For residents of central Florida, pulse has another meaning. No one in the Orlando area will, or can, ever fail to associate the word with the horrific nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016. A lot of meaning for such a small word. In this work, the composer strives to capture something of the essence of pulse in all its multifaceted nuance. The work was commissioned by the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra (FSYO) and premiered in March, 2020.
Alex Burtzos is an American composer, conductor, and educator based in New York City and Orlando, FL, whose music has been performed across four continents by some of the world’s foremost contemporary musicians and ensembles. Alex is the founder and Artistic Director of ICEBERG New Music, a New York-based composer collective, and the endowed chair of composition studies at the University of Central Florida. His music is published by Just a Theory Press, NewMusicShelf, and others, and can be heard on the Sono Luminous and Ravello Records labels.
Tickets are on sale now! To purchase tickets go to www.tysamusic.org.
Season sponsors are the Tacoma Arts Commission, Tacoma Creates, the Washington State Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Program supporters are ArtsFund, Sound Surgical Arts, the University of Puget Sound School of Music, and Weddermann Architecture.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2024 7:30 P.M.
Rialto Theater
Dr. James O. Welsch, Conductor
Carlos Velez: Guabancex, la Juracán
Jean Sibelius: En Saga, Op. 9
Alex Burtzos: Pulse
Claude Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Antonín Dvořák: The Noon Witch
