Philharmonia Northwest / Concert 1: “Remember the Ladies”

“REMEMBER THE LADIES”

WITH NATALIE DUNGEY, TRUMPET

CHRISTOPHER T.F. HANSON, CONDUCTOR

SHORECREST PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15 @ 2:00PM

Our 48th Season opens with Music Director Finalist Dr. Christopher T.F. Hanson and a celebration of women composers. A tribute to Marin Alsop, Joan Tower’s triumphant Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman features Philharmonia Northwest’s outstanding brass and percussion. The Demarest Suite by Barabra Harbach highlights the orchestra’s dynamic strings; it draws inspiration from Abigail Adams’ infamous plea to her husband to “Remember the ladies”. The concert includes a command performance by trumpeter Natalie Dungey, performing Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s powerful American Concerto; and finishes with Florence Price’s iconic First Symphony, a marriage of Western European and African American musical traditions.

PROGRAM:

Joan Tower: Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1
Barbara Harbach: Demarest Suite
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: American Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra
Florence Price: Symphony No. 1 in E minor

SEASON TICKETS
SINGLE IN-PERSON TICKETS

Adult: $30
Senior/Student: $20
Child (under 18): Free

NATALIE DUNGEY, TRUMPET SOLOIST

24-year-old American trumpeter Natalie Dungey came to international attention through her stunning performance of the Arutunian Trumpet Concerto at the National Trumpet Competition when she was 10. Since then, she has been a featured soloist with Christopher O’Reilly on NPR’s From The Top (show #202), has premiered works for trumpet and orchestra, and been the featured soloist with orchestras and bands around the country and as far as Japan.

Natalie performed the world premiere of Calling The Calvary, a concerto written for her by Hollywood film composer and Grammy winner Mateo Messina (soundtrack for Juno), with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra to an audience of 2,000 in Benaroya Hall. She performed the exciting work again with the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra, in an outdoor Independence Day concert with an audience of 30,000, and again with the Northwest Symphony Orchestra on a subscription concert. In January of 2013, John Zoltek – music director of the Glacier Symphony and prolific composer – wrote a two-movement concerto for trumpet for Ms. Dungey that successfully premiered to two sold out performances. Also in 2013, Natalie was the featured soloist with the Louisville Orchestra for the opening concert of the Kentucky Music Educator’s Association Conference.

Past solo appearances include the Arutunian Trumpet Concerto with the Indiana Wind Symphony, the Hummel Trumpet Concerto with the Auburn Symphony (WA), Grand Russian Fantasia by Jules Levy with the Boston Brass at the Midwest Band, and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago and at the Texas Bandmaster’s Association in San Antonio. In May of 2012, Natalie spent 6 weeks in Japan with the Aimachi Drum & Bugle Corps as a featured soloist in their 50th Anniversary production. Natalie has also been the featured guest artist at the Great American Brass Band Festival in Danville Kentucky, the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon, and the Festival Amadeus in Whitefish Montana.

Additional performances have included a second winning year at the National Trumpet
Competition playing the Tomasi Concerto, soloing twice with the University of Washington combined University and Campus bands, the Prayer of Saint Gregory with the Northwest Symphony, The Trumpeter’s Lullaby with the Auburn Symphony, and Del Staiger’s Carnival of Venice with the Sammamish Symphony.

Recent performances include in January 2020 Natalie Performed Semaine Sainte a Cuzco with the UCLA Philharmonia after winning the “All Stars” competition right before the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2022 she performed the Coachella music festival with 88Rising for the “Heads in the Cloud” set.

Other than her dad, Natalie studies with solo and Broadway artist Adam Rapa, and is often coached by her mom. She also studied under Jens Lindemann at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Natalie has taught private lessons for over 9 years. Her students, ranging from beginner to advanced, have gone on to play first trumpet in All State Bands as well as compete in the semi-final rounds of the National Trumpet Competition.

Natalie graduated from UCLA in June 2021 with a BM in Trumpet Performance and a BA in Psychology. She resides in Los Angeles teaching private lessons, as well as pursuing other professional ventures.

CHRISTOPHER T.F. HANSON, CONDUCTOR

Conductor, violinist, composer, pedagogue, philosopher, and musicologist; Dr. Christopher T. F. Hanson enjoys working across a number of disciplines to promote the transformative power of the arts. Dr. Hanson holds three master’s degrees from Texas State University in Music History, Music Theory, and Music Composition. He also holds a PhD in School Improvement from Texas State University, as well as a certificate of professional ethics from the Texas State Philosophy program.

As a violinist and composer, Dr. Hanson has premiered several works across multiple genres and serves as the chief arranger and first violinist of the Sacred Ensemble with Dr. Shana Mashego. Dr. Hanson regularly performs with his wife, mezzo-soprano Erin Hanson, in a chamber music series entitled “Sonatas & Songs” which explores a unique repertoire of music written for solo voice and violin.

Dr. Hanson is an assistant professor of music at Seattle Pacific University where he serves as the director of music education and orchestral activities. He has developed and instructs a number of courses in music and education, including but not limited to: Applied Pedagogy of Strings, Making Music with Diverse Learners, Foundations of Music Education, Teaching instrumental music in public schools, Teaching Music in the Non-Music Classroom, Advocacy in the Arts, and a number of courses that explore creativity, imagination, and interdisciplinary pedagogy. His research focuses on the transformative power of the arts, student and teacher agency, and the significance of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access (DEIA) in education. As a queer scholar, Dr. Hanson uses research platforms to challenge and “queer” professional spaces of teaching and learning, particularly within and through the arts.

Before his current position at SPU, Dr. Hanson worked as a public school teacher in central Texas for eight years. He designed, implemented, and taught unique curricula for music appreciation, AP music theory, and string orchestra in both middle school and high school. Hanson played a crucial role in reviving the public school strings program in San Marcos CISD through public advocacy for the arts within the community.

Dr. Hanson is the founder and former artistic director of the San Marcos Artist Retention and Training (SMART) Orchestra in San Marcos, Texas. The SMART Orchestra is a community music ensemble that promotes the transformative power of the arts by engaging its members and audiences in the orchestral experience. Hanson served as the artistic director for 10 years, from 2009 to 2019.

Currently, Dr. Hanson serves as the director of the Rainbow City Orchestra (RCO), a community music ensemble that serves and supports the LGBTQIA+ community in greater Seattle through the study and performance of contemporary and historically marginalized composers. The Rainbow City Orchestra is one of several ensembles under the umbrella of Rainbow City Performing Arts (RCPA).

Dr. Hanson moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2019, and lives with his partner Erin and children, Emily and Graham, in Tukwila, WA.

Philharmonia Northwest’s 2023-24 Season is made possible in part by generous grants from these Season Sponsors: