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By Maia Thielen, Events & Community Engagement Manager  There's a bright golden haze on the meadow, These words aren’t just the opening lines to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s country musical Oklahoma, but a textual portrait of the American landscape: a grand landscape with a distinct orchestral language all its own. This language is instantly recognizable: strings rise like the fronds of coarse wheat and swaying prairie grasses. Woodwind breezes playfully weave through the string pastures. Brass pomp serves as an echo of the sun off the purple mountains. The whole scene reverberates in majestic open fourths and fifths. Of course, the settling of the American West was more complicated and grimmer than its musical fantasy, but the stunning plains and peaks of this country's landscape have inspired a rich orchestral tradition that still rings forth today with enchantment and awe. When it comes to the founding of this tradition, there is perhaps no composer more influential than Aaron Copland. On March 7th and 8th, the Bozeman Symphony performs Copland's "Clarinet Concerto" with guest artist Jon Manasse and Music Director finalist Thomas Heuser. While the concerto explores a different American tradition—jazz—I'd like to share some favorite Copland pieces and works that follow in his pastoral footsteps. You may be familiar with Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man , Appalachian Spring, Billy the Kid, and Rodeo (if not, I encourage you to click the links to give them a listen)—all fantastic and well-known examples of his agrarian style. You may also notice that list is comprised of both a symphonic work and ballets, for Copland's compositional style seamlessly transitions between many different forms: symphonies, ballets, operas, art songs, and films. Among his film credits, a sublime Americana marriage can be found: that between Copland and author John Steinbeck—my favorite writer, whose 118th birthday would have been today—on 1948's The Red Pony and 1939's Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck himself adapted his Red Pony novella into a screenplay for the film which, while not a commercial success, gave us what is now known as The Red Pony Suite. Listen to the first movement, "Morning on the Ranch" (YouTube link below) with its prancing opening fanfare which then unfurls into a delicate, introspective melody. These two themes alternate, perfectly expressing the infatuation and reverence Steinbeck held for his beloved Salinas Valley.
The sound of the American landscape and influences of Copland can even be found in Disney films and attractions. Listen to how accomplished film composers Randy Newman and Jerry Goldsmith convey the grandeur of the trees and meadows from a bug's perspective and the splendor of California's varied ecosystems, respectively, using similar conventions.
The American orchestral language is one of my favorite symphonic styles. These pieces capture the thrill, adventure, and hope of the Old West, as well as a nostalgia for a time when the land was untamed. Grasses, cliffs, sunrises, and storms speak for themselves in these compositions, whispering and thundering with mystique and promise.
Thank you for joining me on this musical tour! Do you have any favorite pieces that evoke the American landscape or tradition? Leave a comment so we can all keep exploring!
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A Study Guide for Students and Families |
 P.S. – “arr.” means “arranged by.” To arrange a piece of music means to change how it was originally written by the composer. Debussy wrote this piece for piano, but Arthur Luck rewrote it so the entire orchestra can play! | Your soul is as fair as a moonlit landscape, Masked people, delicate and shadowy Play on lutes and dance, and have an air Of sadness in their fantastic costumes. They play songs in minor keys about Triumphant love, good work, With an air of knowing all is vain, — In the quiet moonlight their songs rise, The sweet and lonely moonlight That makes birds dream in their trees, And in their white stone basins, Tall fountains sob with ecstasy. |
From the Earth to the Moon and Beyond, by James Beckel
Last year, the world celebrated the 50thanniversary of men walking on the Moon for the very first time. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history with the Apollo Moon Landing, and to celebrate fifty years later, composer James Beckel was commissioned to write a piece honoring their accomplishment. A “commissioned” piece is a piece ordered and paid for by another person or organization. In this case, multiple orchestras and individual people paid James Beckel to write this piece. It imagines the “Big Bang” with the help of a narrator. See if you can hear the creation of the universe that develops from a single note to a sudden “bang” from the orchestra.
Last year, the world celebrated the 50thanniversary of men walking on the Moon for the very first time. On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made history with the Apollo Moon Landing, and to celebrate fifty years later, composer James Beckel was commissioned to write a piece honoring their accomplishment. A “commissioned” piece is a piece ordered and paid for by another person or organization. In this case, multiple orchestras and individual people paid James Beckel to write this piece. It imagines the “Big Bang” with the help of a narrator. See if you can hear the creation of the universe that develops from a single note to a sudden “bang” from the orchestra.
The Planets (excerpts), by Gustav Holst
English composer Gustav Holst demonstrated his interest in astrology* by writing this epic piece about the planets in our solar system. Each planet makes up a different movement of the piece. (Remember how each movement makes up a different part of the story of the whole piece?) Today, you will hear “Mars: Bringer of War,” “Venus: The Bringer of Peace,” “Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity,” and “Uranus: The Magician.” The planet Mars was named for the Roman God of War. Can you hear how this movement sounds like you’re marching off to war? Venus was named for the Roman Goddess of Love and Beauty. How does this movement sound different from “Mars?” Jupiter was the King of the Roman Gods. For this movement, Holst drew on folk songs from his native England to show joy. Uranus was named for the Greek God of the Sky. Can you hear Uranus casting spells with this music?
English composer Gustav Holst demonstrated his interest in astrology* by writing this epic piece about the planets in our solar system. Each planet makes up a different movement of the piece. (Remember how each movement makes up a different part of the story of the whole piece?) Today, you will hear “Mars: Bringer of War,” “Venus: The Bringer of Peace,” “Jupiter: The Bringer of Jollity,” and “Uranus: The Magician.” The planet Mars was named for the Roman God of War. Can you hear how this movement sounds like you’re marching off to war? Venus was named for the Roman Goddess of Love and Beauty. How does this movement sound different from “Mars?” Jupiter was the King of the Roman Gods. For this movement, Holst drew on folk songs from his native England to show joy. Uranus was named for the Greek God of the Sky. Can you hear Uranus casting spells with this music?
 | *P.S. – Astrology (the study of the planets’ movements and their supposed influence on humans, including zodiac signs and horoscopes), is not to be confused with astronomy, the scientific study of objects and matter outside the earth’s atmosphere. |  |
Star Wars Suite: Main Theme, by John Williams
This is one piece of music you may know, already! In 1977, John Williams wrote this theme for the very first Star Wars film, A New Hope. Over 40 years later, it is still used as the main music in the Star Wars movies made, today! The theme was partially inspired by composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s music for the 1942 film Kings Row.
Thank you for your hard work! Studying music takes a lot of patience and focus, but will enhance your listening experience.
We hope you enjoy your trip through the universe with the
Bozeman Symphony!
We hope you enjoy your trip through the universe with the
Bozeman Symphony!
Go beyond the program and expand your musical education with further listening.
By Maia Thielen, Events & Community Engagement Manager
(Alamy, via Smithsonian Magazine)
In the Fall of 1932, 19-year-old Benjamin Britten pored over a book of ancient English carols, searching for the perfect text to set with his first mature religious work. The result was A Boy Was Born: a theme and six variations setting ten 16th century texts. This work for unaccompanied men’s, women’s, and boys’ voices would hardly be his last foray into seasonal repertoire.
On December 14th and 15th, the Bozeman Symphony performs Britten’s “Men of Goodwill,” an orchestral setting of Christmas carol variations. Men of Goodwill initially premiered as a radio performance which preceded King George VI’s 1947 Christmas broadcast, making its brassy grand opening appropriately ceremonious. While only a single carol – “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” – forms the theme, the piece meanders through a tour of medieval English tunes and draws inspiration from non-Western music.
In 1982, Robert Henderson of the Daily Telegraph described it as “…a shrewd and entertaining concert-piece, the five variations consisting of a spirited jug, a seductive andantino cast in the form of a slow, opulently lyrical waltz, a rustic dance, pompous little march and rhetorical finale. Expertly scored, as one would expect, and written in his lightest vein.” As this weekend’s Music Director Finalist Norman Huynh pointed out in his Welcome Message, listen for how the melody is picked up by different instruments to create a “color palate” of sounds with the familiar melody.
While Men of Goodwill is wordless, Britten was a master of setting texts for the voice. The texts used in that earlier Christmas composition--A Boy Was Born—were selected so carefully from the book of ancient carols that the work requires no narrator or staging and presents a complete narrative on its own. The piece reflects on Jesus’ entire life rather than simply his birth story and alternates between plot and rumination. Inspired by Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, which he saw in 1933, Britten also weaved motives and text painting to describe elements like the Nativity, Mary rocking her infant, and the upward motion of Jesus’ eventual ascension.
On December 14th and 15th, the Bozeman Symphony performs Britten’s “Men of Goodwill,” an orchestral setting of Christmas carol variations. Men of Goodwill initially premiered as a radio performance which preceded King George VI’s 1947 Christmas broadcast, making its brassy grand opening appropriately ceremonious. While only a single carol – “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” – forms the theme, the piece meanders through a tour of medieval English tunes and draws inspiration from non-Western music.
In 1982, Robert Henderson of the Daily Telegraph described it as “…a shrewd and entertaining concert-piece, the five variations consisting of a spirited jug, a seductive andantino cast in the form of a slow, opulently lyrical waltz, a rustic dance, pompous little march and rhetorical finale. Expertly scored, as one would expect, and written in his lightest vein.” As this weekend’s Music Director Finalist Norman Huynh pointed out in his Welcome Message, listen for how the melody is picked up by different instruments to create a “color palate” of sounds with the familiar melody.
While Men of Goodwill is wordless, Britten was a master of setting texts for the voice. The texts used in that earlier Christmas composition--A Boy Was Born—were selected so carefully from the book of ancient carols that the work requires no narrator or staging and presents a complete narrative on its own. The piece reflects on Jesus’ entire life rather than simply his birth story and alternates between plot and rumination. Inspired by Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, which he saw in 1933, Britten also weaved motives and text painting to describe elements like the Nativity, Mary rocking her infant, and the upward motion of Jesus’ eventual ascension.
(Recommended listening: A Boy Was Born, featuring the Boys' Voices of the English Opera Group and the Purcell Singers, conducted by Benjamin Britten, himself.)
Another masterful choral work to explore this season is A Ceremony of Carols: a striking composition for treble voices and harp. Consisting of ten carols bookended by a plainchant procession and recession, A Ceremony offers a program of charming lullabies interspersed with the frantic, declamatory drama of movements like “This Little Babe,” which feature unexpected twists and turns of tonality as is typical of Britten. In the middle of the work, the action pauses for “Interlude,” an ethereal respite for harp alone which leaves notes raining softly in the air like the drip-drops of melting snow.
| Listen to Bozeman Symphony second harpist Karen Thielen perform "Interlude:" (Recommended listening: A Ceremony of Carols conducted by George Guest at St. John's Cambridge, 1965.) | |
Lastly, for more secular, poetic listening, one need look no further than Winter Words, a song cycle for tenor featuring texts from poet Thomas Hardy’s Collected Poems. Originally written for Britten’s life-long partner Peter Pears, the eight poems sigh with nostalgia, and the bleakness of Winter. Listen for poignant touches like the imitation of a boy playing the violin in “At the railway station, Uppway,” and the gloom Britten evokes which echoes Franz Schubert’s Winterreise.
(Recommended listening: Winter Words in two parts, sung by Peter Pears with Benjamin Britten on Piano; Winterreise, performed by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore.)
(Recommended listening: Winter Words in two parts, sung by Peter Pears with Benjamin Britten on Piano; Winterreise, performed by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore.)
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We hope you enjoy touring just a handful of Benjamin Britten’s seasonal works and that we’ll see you this weekend at the Willson Auditorium for our live performance of Men of Goodwill during the Bozeman Symphony’s “Vivaldi’s Gloria," with Music Director Finalist Norman Huynh!
Works referenced:
Britten-Pears Foundation, “Work of the Week: Winter Words,” Britten-Pears Foundation. https://brittenpears.org/explore/benjamin-britten/music/work-of-the-week/51-winter-words/.
Max Derrickson, “Britten — Men of Goodwill: Variations on a Christmas Carol,” Max Derrickson. https://www.musicprogramnotes.com/britten-men-of-goodwill-variations-on-a-christmas-carol/.
Gordon Lamb, “Benjamin Britten’s ‘Ceremony of Carols,’” The Choral Journal 4, no. 1 (1963): 18-20.
Stephen Sieck, “Earl Signs of a Gift for Drama: Benjamin Britten’s A Boy Was Born, Op. 3,” Choral Journal 45, no. 2 (2004): 8-16.
Britten-Pears Foundation, “Work of the Week: Winter Words,” Britten-Pears Foundation. https://brittenpears.org/explore/benjamin-britten/music/work-of-the-week/51-winter-words/.
Max Derrickson, “Britten — Men of Goodwill: Variations on a Christmas Carol,” Max Derrickson. https://www.musicprogramnotes.com/britten-men-of-goodwill-variations-on-a-christmas-carol/.
Gordon Lamb, “Benjamin Britten’s ‘Ceremony of Carols,’” The Choral Journal 4, no. 1 (1963): 18-20.
Stephen Sieck, “Earl Signs of a Gift for Drama: Benjamin Britten’s A Boy Was Born, Op. 3,” Choral Journal 45, no. 2 (2004): 8-16.
Franz Schubert’s “Unfinished Symphony,” known as one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in classical music involving almost two centuries of gossip and intrigue, will be the centerpiece of performances presented by Bozeman Symphony on February 2nd and 3rd.
Schubert composed the first two movements of his Symphony No. 8, commonly known as the “Unfinished Symphony,” in 1822 and lived for six more years after the completion of these movements. So why didn’t he finish it? Musicologists and music lovers have been trying to decide why Schubert never finished this symphony for almost two centuries to no avail. Was he just not excited by it? Did he have other things to write and never got back to it? Did he think it had little value as music? He did go on to write the fantastically successful 9th Symphony, so he obviously wasn’t through composing.
Composer Franz Schubert; Credit: Josef Kriehuber, Public Domain
Perhaps the reason for speculation and intrigue surrounding the Symphony is that very few facts are known about it. Schubert left us with only two movements and a sketch of a Scherzo, which we assume would take its place as a third movement. A symphony, however, is a piece that has four movements. Up through 1822, no work in the form of a symphony was comprised of only two or three movements. It was always four.
Adding to the mystery, the “Unfinished Symphony” wasn’t discovered until the 1860s, more than thirty years after Schubert’s death. In 1823 the Graz Music Society presented Schubert with an honorary degree. In return, Schubert felt obliged to present the Society with a symphony dedicated to them. He sent his unfinished work, along with at least the first two pages of his scherzo to longtime friend and member of the Graz Music Society, Anselm Hüttenbrenner.
No one knows why, but Hüttenbrenner never let anyone know he had the score - even the Graz Society. It remained secretly in his possession until nearing the end of his life, he revealed the score giving the masterpiece its world premiere in Vienna on December 17th in 1865.
Adding to the mystery, the “Unfinished Symphony” wasn’t discovered until the 1860s, more than thirty years after Schubert’s death. In 1823 the Graz Music Society presented Schubert with an honorary degree. In return, Schubert felt obliged to present the Society with a symphony dedicated to them. He sent his unfinished work, along with at least the first two pages of his scherzo to longtime friend and member of the Graz Music Society, Anselm Hüttenbrenner.
No one knows why, but Hüttenbrenner never let anyone know he had the score - even the Graz Society. It remained secretly in his possession until nearing the end of his life, he revealed the score giving the masterpiece its world premiere in Vienna on December 17th in 1865.
Score to the third movement of Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony; Credit: Schubert, Public Domain.
Musicologists speculated for several decades that because of Hüttenbrenner’s secrecy, perhaps there were two more movements hidden in an attic somewhere in Vienna. However, it is now certain that Schubert left us only with two incomparable movements of music, both thrilling and sublime. Alan Leech, principal bassoon of the Bozeman Symphony, shares: “I have always thought that perhaps the reason Schubert did not complete the other movements of this work was that he had “painted himself into a corner,” and wasn’t certain where to go from there. There are beautiful woodwind and string melodies to be heard, and the flowing tunes are very endearing. Whenever I hear the two movements of this symphony, I find them reasonably complete and satisfying: they do seem to speak for themselves, and perhaps I understand why he left just the two movements unattended by additional ones.”
A few other details add to the intrigue. In late 1822 Schubert contracted syphilis and subsequently suffered from depression and failing health. Some have also speculated that he was almost paralyzed by learning about Beethoven’s symphonic form innovations. Others claimed that Schubert was obsessed with composing his Wander Fantasy for solo piano. And finally, many have speculated that the material intended for the fourth movement was used as the entr’acte for the incidental music for Rosamunde. These reasons are merely circumstantial. No definitive proof supports any of these theories.
What is known: Schubert gave us two movements that can be best described as perfection. Precious gems in the treasure trove of symphonic music. They have remained stalwarts of the standard repertoire immediately from the time they were premiered. Moreover, the “Unfinished Symphony” occupies a special place in the history of music as the first Romantic Symphony - a bridge from the Classical period to the Romantic period due to its lyrical motivation, and an orchestration not solely designed for functionality. Schubert’s two movements are a masterpiece and cherished the world over year after year.
A few other details add to the intrigue. In late 1822 Schubert contracted syphilis and subsequently suffered from depression and failing health. Some have also speculated that he was almost paralyzed by learning about Beethoven’s symphonic form innovations. Others claimed that Schubert was obsessed with composing his Wander Fantasy for solo piano. And finally, many have speculated that the material intended for the fourth movement was used as the entr’acte for the incidental music for Rosamunde. These reasons are merely circumstantial. No definitive proof supports any of these theories.
What is known: Schubert gave us two movements that can be best described as perfection. Precious gems in the treasure trove of symphonic music. They have remained stalwarts of the standard repertoire immediately from the time they were premiered. Moreover, the “Unfinished Symphony” occupies a special place in the history of music as the first Romantic Symphony - a bridge from the Classical period to the Romantic period due to its lyrical motivation, and an orchestration not solely designed for functionality. Schubert’s two movements are a masterpiece and cherished the world over year after year.
The Symphony welcomes Wendy Bickford, principal clarinet, as one of our newest orchestra members!
Wendy's musical background is extremely impressive having performed as a clarinetist in “The President’s Own” Marine Band performing for Presidents George W. Bush and Barrack Obama, along with several orchestras including the Colorado Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Ft. Collins Symphony and New Orchestra of Washington. We couldn't be more thrilled to have Wendy in our community! A big thank you to Wendy for sharing her life inside and out of music which follows!
At six years old in Lakeland, Florida, Wendy heard her older brother practicing the clarinet. Even though the sounds were rather frightening at times, she wanted to learn to play it. He charged Wendy $5 a minute to try it out. She waited five long years to inherit his Noblet clarinet. While awaiting her time to play the licorice stick, she discovered the classical music station, and Wendy was hooked. She could not get enough of this newly discovered music and knew it would be a main part of her life. As Wendy got older, she would record the classical station on cassette tapes just like her father would record classic rock songs for their travels to fastpitch softball tournaments. Then in the eighth grade came the discovery of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto thanks to a gift from her mother. It was Wendy's first classical CD, and she had no idea who was performing it and could not pronounce the German name, but that did not matter. Life was never the same; Wendy knew she wanted to be a performer.
While working through scales, etude books and solo repertoire, Wendy was also playing year-round travel fastpitch softball. Her private lesson teacher was against this other passion Wendy shared with music. So, to avoid the countless lectures about breaking bones or trying less dangerous sports, Wendy and her family decided to hide her softball life from her teacher. Ironically, it wasn't until the end of her graduate studies that broken bones became an issue! In high school, Wendy participated in as many musical opportunities she could possibly fit into one day outside of her lessons and Symphonic Band rehearsals. She participated in the jazz band on alto saxophone, competed in concerto competitions and performed solos with the local professional orchestra and organizations supporting classical music, and also joined the percussion section of the younger band at her school. Her senior year, Wendy was ecstatic to receive her acceptance letter to attend a music conservatory.
Wendy earned her bachelor’s degree from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University where she studied with Edward Palanker of the Baltimore Symphony. During her senior year at Peabody and before starting her graduate program, Wendy studied with Mark Nuccio of the New York Philharmonic and Yehuda Gilad. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado, studying with Bil Jackson of the Colorado Symphony, where she also earned a triple fracture in her left thumb from picking up softball again right before her audition for the Marine Band.
Wendy's musical background is extremely impressive having performed as a clarinetist in “The President’s Own” Marine Band performing for Presidents George W. Bush and Barrack Obama, along with several orchestras including the Colorado Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Ft. Collins Symphony and New Orchestra of Washington. We couldn't be more thrilled to have Wendy in our community! A big thank you to Wendy for sharing her life inside and out of music which follows!
At six years old in Lakeland, Florida, Wendy heard her older brother practicing the clarinet. Even though the sounds were rather frightening at times, she wanted to learn to play it. He charged Wendy $5 a minute to try it out. She waited five long years to inherit his Noblet clarinet. While awaiting her time to play the licorice stick, she discovered the classical music station, and Wendy was hooked. She could not get enough of this newly discovered music and knew it would be a main part of her life. As Wendy got older, she would record the classical station on cassette tapes just like her father would record classic rock songs for their travels to fastpitch softball tournaments. Then in the eighth grade came the discovery of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto thanks to a gift from her mother. It was Wendy's first classical CD, and she had no idea who was performing it and could not pronounce the German name, but that did not matter. Life was never the same; Wendy knew she wanted to be a performer.
While working through scales, etude books and solo repertoire, Wendy was also playing year-round travel fastpitch softball. Her private lesson teacher was against this other passion Wendy shared with music. So, to avoid the countless lectures about breaking bones or trying less dangerous sports, Wendy and her family decided to hide her softball life from her teacher. Ironically, it wasn't until the end of her graduate studies that broken bones became an issue! In high school, Wendy participated in as many musical opportunities she could possibly fit into one day outside of her lessons and Symphonic Band rehearsals. She participated in the jazz band on alto saxophone, competed in concerto competitions and performed solos with the local professional orchestra and organizations supporting classical music, and also joined the percussion section of the younger band at her school. Her senior year, Wendy was ecstatic to receive her acceptance letter to attend a music conservatory.
Wendy earned her bachelor’s degree from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University where she studied with Edward Palanker of the Baltimore Symphony. During her senior year at Peabody and before starting her graduate program, Wendy studied with Mark Nuccio of the New York Philharmonic and Yehuda Gilad. She earned her master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado, studying with Bil Jackson of the Colorado Symphony, where she also earned a triple fracture in her left thumb from picking up softball again right before her audition for the Marine Band.
Prior to moving to Montana three years ago, Wendy was a clarinetist in “The President’s Own” Marine Band in Washington, D.C., performing for Presidents George W. Bush and Barrack Obama. During this time, she performed as a soloist, chamber musician and coordinated outreach programs throughout the United States. She enjoyed her time in the band, making several life-long friends and memories of our country's top leaders. During a secret rehearsal at the White House, Wendy will never forget the sheer look of panic from President Bush's Chief of Staff's face while the President nonchalantly conducted “Stars and Stripes” for the first time. She was grateful for the compassion and gratitude that President Obama had for his band every time they performed for his events. One of the things she most appreciated about being a part of the band was performing and traveling on the band's national concert tour, bringing world class music to small towns all over the country. Wendy has also performed with several orchestras including the Colorado Symphony, Cheyenne Symphony, Ft. Collins Symphony and New Orchestra of Washington.
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Since adjusting to her new life back in Billings, where she previously lived until the age of five, Wendy has been thrilled to become a part of two Montana orchestras in the same year, including the Bozeman Symphony. She is excited to be performing with the Bozeman Symphony and playing with and meeting such wonderful and diverse personalities and musicians. She has enjoyed the transformation of the music with the ensemble from the first rehearsal to the final performance; the reaction of the audience was incredible after her first concert with the orchestra in September. Wendy feels fortunate to be a part of such an energetic music family and supportive local community. She cannot wait to see what musical adventures are in store for her and the rest of the Bozeman Symphony.
Currently, Wendy has started a private lesson studio and is also a member of the Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale. She is a substitute teacher for several of the Billings schools’ band teachers. The best compliment she may have ever received came from a fifth grader who stated, “Wow, you play clarinet better than Squidward!” Wendy has started a clarinet choir for high school students with the goal of including a choir for younger players soon. Wendy is in the process of establishing a non-profit program to provide opportunities for every child to have more music education in their lives. Her goal is to see a symphony orchestra of 8 to 10-year-olds that includes children playing mini bassoons!
Outside of her love for music, Wendy also coaches middle school fastpitch softball at Castle Rock Middle School in Billings. She started umpiring fastpitch softball tournaments this past summer and has finally gotten used to being called “Blue”.
Currently, Wendy has started a private lesson studio and is also a member of the Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale. She is a substitute teacher for several of the Billings schools’ band teachers. The best compliment she may have ever received came from a fifth grader who stated, “Wow, you play clarinet better than Squidward!” Wendy has started a clarinet choir for high school students with the goal of including a choir for younger players soon. Wendy is in the process of establishing a non-profit program to provide opportunities for every child to have more music education in their lives. Her goal is to see a symphony orchestra of 8 to 10-year-olds that includes children playing mini bassoons!
Outside of her love for music, Wendy also coaches middle school fastpitch softball at Castle Rock Middle School in Billings. She started umpiring fastpitch softball tournaments this past summer and has finally gotten used to being called “Blue”.
When she's not calling balls and strikes or instructing on the fastpitch field, Wendy can be found playing “competitive” coed and women's slowpitch softball during the summers.
Wendy's favorite activities besides music involve adventures with her partner-in-crime, Chad, their two dogs, Nala and Yoda, and two cats, Molly and Eli.
Wendy's favorite activities besides music involve adventures with her partner-in-crime, Chad, their two dogs, Nala and Yoda, and two cats, Molly and Eli.
Learn about Carrie Krause's
Period Instrument
 Photo Credit: Heather McIntosh, Lighted Path Photography | Carrie Krause, Concertmaster of the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra, brings tremendous talent and leadership to the ensemble alongside Maestro Matthew Savery. In addition to her role with the orchestra, Carrie has performed as soloist from the Leipzig Bach Festival to the Boston Early Music Festival, and as a member of Apollo's Fire at the BBC Proms (all while maintaining a large violin studio here in Bozeman). As Artistic Director, Carrie, with Baroque Music Montana and the Bozeman Symphony, present the Period Performance Workshop, August 24th-26th, in Bozeman. We are pleased to announce the workshop is now in its third year. Past participants have included violins, violas, cello, bass, harpsichord, guitar, lute, flute, and recorder, ranging from high school students to amateur adults to professional players from across Montana. Carrie truly brings a superior level of artistry and history to Montana with her inspiring performances and was fortunate to purchase a 17th century violin in 2016. When asked about her playing and instrument, "I am a player of old music, in love with the influence and inspiration found in historical resources, and finding this violin was the fruit of a three year search for a historical instrument. I've been hoping to find an instrument that had a story to tell, whom I could feel lucky to be a steward, supporter, and protector for whatever short span of its long musical life our paths intersected. |
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photo credit: Tarisio
The violin, from approximately 1720, was built by Mathias Klotz (1653-1743), the first in a large family of instrument makers in Mittenwald, Germany. Mathias is thought to have studied instrument making with both Jacob Stainer (known as one of the most famous luthiers of his time in Europe before Stradivari) and with master Giovanni Railich, in Padua, Italy. Mathias benefited geographically from the excellent tone woods of the Karwendel mountains situated along an excellent trade route, spawning a large family legacy of violin makers and workshops.
Carrie shares with us her finding of the instrument, and the steps taken before their performance debut:
"While back in New York for a Bach B minor Mass, I found this instrument at the Tarisio auction house just off Times Square. While I was away at the Red Lodge Music Festival, the violin arrived in a box, without a case and wrapped in bubble wrap, the sound post and bridge taken down for shipping safety.
Unable to play it or hear it sing, imagine my longing impatience only able to admire its beautiful, interesting old wood, long scroll, and arched top. On my way to the Oregon Bach Festival, I took it to David Kerr's shop in Portland to be set up and fitted with a historical bridge and tailpiece. The instrument was rather cranky for about a week--as like athlete's that love to run, instruments begin to sing when they are played--and this instrument hadn't run in its original historical set up in who knows how long! Since then, we've enjoyed some lovely mornings out on our deck exploring seventeenth century preludes, Bach and Pisendel sonatas, and hours of resonant double stops. At Quinn's Hot Springs, the instrument made its concert debut at the Montana Baroque Festival!
"I'm so looking forward to having this colorful, sensitive, swarthy instrument as my closest companion through this next winter season."
Carrie shares with us her finding of the instrument, and the steps taken before their performance debut:
"While back in New York for a Bach B minor Mass, I found this instrument at the Tarisio auction house just off Times Square. While I was away at the Red Lodge Music Festival, the violin arrived in a box, without a case and wrapped in bubble wrap, the sound post and bridge taken down for shipping safety.
Unable to play it or hear it sing, imagine my longing impatience only able to admire its beautiful, interesting old wood, long scroll, and arched top. On my way to the Oregon Bach Festival, I took it to David Kerr's shop in Portland to be set up and fitted with a historical bridge and tailpiece. The instrument was rather cranky for about a week--as like athlete's that love to run, instruments begin to sing when they are played--and this instrument hadn't run in its original historical set up in who knows how long! Since then, we've enjoyed some lovely mornings out on our deck exploring seventeenth century preludes, Bach and Pisendel sonatas, and hours of resonant double stops. At Quinn's Hot Springs, the instrument made its concert debut at the Montana Baroque Festival!
"I'm so looking forward to having this colorful, sensitive, swarthy instrument as my closest companion through this next winter season."
For players interested in period performance, register for the 2018 Period Performance Workshop! Full details available online here.
Teaching Bozemanites about pan...and by pan we mean, steelpan.
Percussionist Kristofer Olsen moved to Bozeman in August 2013 and is celebrating his fifth season with the orchestra! His wife Allison is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at Montana State University so it is with thanks to her, Kris says, they get to live in Bozeman. Originally from Havre, Kris moved away in 1994 when he graduated from high school. When Allison was interviewing for the job at MSU, it helped immensely that his brother Josh and his wife Bina Peters (viola) were living here in Bozeman, and so the prospect of being in town with family was extremely desirable.
Kris currently teaches in the Education Department and School of Music at MSU, works part time for All About Pianos in Belgrade, teaches piano lessons out of his home, and is the choir director at Christ the King Lutheran Church. Talk about being busy, but it doesn’t stop there. He has volunteered at Meadowlark Elementary through his church and for the Girl Scouts now that his daughter is involved. He has also coached his daughter’s Blitzz Micro-Recreational Soccer team for a few seasons.
When Kris moved to town, he wanted to get involved musically because he was trying to establish himself both as an educator and musician while still completing his dissertation at Ohio University. He contacted the Symphony as well as principal timpanist Jeff Vick and shortly after, had an audition with Maestro Savery and Jeff. Since then, he has have been performing regularly as a section percussionist and “having a blast” he says.
Kris currently teaches in the Education Department and School of Music at MSU, works part time for All About Pianos in Belgrade, teaches piano lessons out of his home, and is the choir director at Christ the King Lutheran Church. Talk about being busy, but it doesn’t stop there. He has volunteered at Meadowlark Elementary through his church and for the Girl Scouts now that his daughter is involved. He has also coached his daughter’s Blitzz Micro-Recreational Soccer team for a few seasons.
When Kris moved to town, he wanted to get involved musically because he was trying to establish himself both as an educator and musician while still completing his dissertation at Ohio University. He contacted the Symphony as well as principal timpanist Jeff Vick and shortly after, had an audition with Maestro Savery and Jeff. Since then, he has have been performing regularly as a section percussionist and “having a blast” he says.
Members of PercOrchestra from left to right: Kristofer Olsen, Jeff Vick, Stephen Versaevel, Mark Brown.
His musical interests started at a young age taking piano lessons in elementary school (around 3rd grade) and percussion in 6th grade. About his early music education Kris says: “I distinctly remember not wanting to be in choir because I didn’t want to be like my older sister (who was also in band so that didn’t work), but most of my friends joined choir in 6th grade and realized that I enjoyed music.” He eventually joined choir in 7th grade and sang in organized choir throughout high school and as an undergraduate at St. Olaf College. While at St. Olaf, Kris performed in both the St. Olaf Band and the St. Olaf Orchestra all four years.
Kris shares that he’s not exactly sure what inspired him to become a musician. “I had both positive and not-so-positive experiences in elementary music” he says. “I am told that I banged on pots, pans, anything as a baby and I wanted to play percussion because I thought it was cool. I remember getting hooked on mallet percussion as a 7th grader when the HS band director at the time put me in front of a xylophone and asked if I could read music to play it. Of course I could! It was like a piano that I struck with mallets! I would spend hours playing through method books in a practice room. I’ve always been interested in patterns and rhythm so my interest just kept progressing as I continued through school.”
About performing Kris says: “I enjoy the challenge of performing but I enjoy the collective creative process that is often a trademark of playing music. It’s one thing to learn a piece or even perform a piece by myself but it’s so much more fulfilling to communicate with other performers and our audience through our collective work. My favorite part of rehearsals or performances is catching the eye of a fellow musician in a nonverbal symbiosis.”
Kris shares that he’s not exactly sure what inspired him to become a musician. “I had both positive and not-so-positive experiences in elementary music” he says. “I am told that I banged on pots, pans, anything as a baby and I wanted to play percussion because I thought it was cool. I remember getting hooked on mallet percussion as a 7th grader when the HS band director at the time put me in front of a xylophone and asked if I could read music to play it. Of course I could! It was like a piano that I struck with mallets! I would spend hours playing through method books in a practice room. I’ve always been interested in patterns and rhythm so my interest just kept progressing as I continued through school.”
About performing Kris says: “I enjoy the challenge of performing but I enjoy the collective creative process that is often a trademark of playing music. It’s one thing to learn a piece or even perform a piece by myself but it’s so much more fulfilling to communicate with other performers and our audience through our collective work. My favorite part of rehearsals or performances is catching the eye of a fellow musician in a nonverbal symbiosis.”
Kris enjoying a moment during rehearsal at Willson Auditorium.
As mentioned earlier Kris is celebrating his fifth season with the orchestra. About his involvement with the organization, Kris shares: “I cannot imagine our life in Bozeman without the Bozeman Symphony. It has been a vital part of my musical life since moving here. I have performed in regional/community ensembles since graduation from St. Olaf and regularly reflected on how I missed the technical achievements of those groups. The Bozeman Symphony gives me an outlet not only to challenge myself as a performer but to marvel at the accomplishments of my fellow players. I love listening to the gorgeous playing of my colleagues and being moved by their talents!”
This will be the first time Kris has participated in a collage performance. During the last collage concerts, Kris was attending his PhD graduation from Ohio University. Although he has heard of such performances at other institutions but have yet to witness one live.
This will be the first time Kris has participated in a collage performance. During the last collage concerts, Kris was attending his PhD graduation from Ohio University. Although he has heard of such performances at other institutions but have yet to witness one live.
Members of the percussion section featured during performances of Holiday Collage in December, 2016. Photo: Wesley White
This time, Kris gets to experience the spotlight. Along with members of the Symphony’s percussion section, Kris will be performing a piece entitled “Number Two.” It is a piece for steelpans, electric bass and drum set written by his friend and classmate from West Virginia University (where he did his master’s), Dave Longfellow. Mark Brown and Kris will be playing double seconds, Micah Jastrom will be playing double tenors, Jeff Vick will be playing cellos, Courtney Bury will be playing bass and Stephen Versaevel will be playing drum set.
The piece was composed for a group of WVU grads called the Dave Longfellow Ensemble, which developed after Kris graduated from WVU. The players of this ensemble Kris considers friends from the percussion and jazz studios. They basically started playing original tunes for steelpan because there isn’t a lot out there.
Dave, as described by Kris, is a brilliant player and musical mind. He has always enjoyed his use of interesting time signatures and grooves as well as his improvisational ideas for the group when they were playing.
Number Two features a number of interlocking patterns between the steelpans and bass over the multiple groove foundations of the drum set. The last time Kris performed this piece (on these same pans!) was at his last concert as a band director in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, before he returned to graduate school.
The students Kris performed with had witnessed a performance of the Dave Longfellow Ensemble at a steelpan competition in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and were similarly enamored with the infectious groove of the song.
Much like the lore of the instrument Kris will be playing on March 3rd and 4th, double seconds (which were named because they were the second steelpan invented), Number Two was the 2nd piece for the DLE that Dave wrote.
Kris is truly invested in this piece. He shares: “I absolutely love the opening of the piece that grows from a single player to the entire ensemble in a crescendo of patterns and instruments. The distinctive timbre of the steelpan, an instrument constructed from discarded oil barrels by young people in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1940s, is most definitely highlighted through the harmonic and melodic ideas of Dave Longfellow. I hope to increase the awareness of the Bozeman community to this instrument and am grateful that the BSO and Maestro Savery are allowing us to showcase them as part of the collage concert.”
Several components contribute to the excitement of collage and in Kris’ words, he says: “my understanding of the concept is that the music is non-stop. It breaks up the routine (an admittedly inadequate term) of a normal concert and allows for a chamber experience within the context of a symphony performance. With one piece leading into the next, the audience’s attention is shifted around the stage and the many timbres of the orchestra are showcased to a different level. I look forward to experiencing it as a performer and as an “audience member” when I’m not performing!”
Expanding on these thoughts, Kris shares that by attending a collage performance, audience members will get to see all the many talents of their orchestra and symphonic choir. “They get to hear solos, duets, ensembles and the full orchestra and symphonic choir all in one performance! And, selfishly, we get to play steelpans so they should come to hear that! I just believe it is a tremendous showcase of the talent we have in the BSO and Symphonic Choir and am thrilled to be a part of it!” he says.
Passion for what he does as a musician and community dominate the information Kris has shared with us today. In summary, he says: “as you can see, I struggle at being brief, especially when I’m passionate about something. I love “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” both as a listener and as a performer and am pumped to start rehearsing it. The last time I performed it, I was in college, which was over 20 years ago! I love talking steelpan but it may not interest others as much as it does me. Every time we play Number Two, I envision my friends who developed the parts we are playing and it is almost like I am playing with them. I still am in touch with most of the original members of the Dave Longfellow Ensemble and will be performing with the guitar (cello) player (Jeff Vick’s part) this summer! Hopefully this performance will spark some more interest in the instruments and I can teach more Bozemanites about pan! Thanks!”
The piece was composed for a group of WVU grads called the Dave Longfellow Ensemble, which developed after Kris graduated from WVU. The players of this ensemble Kris considers friends from the percussion and jazz studios. They basically started playing original tunes for steelpan because there isn’t a lot out there.
Dave, as described by Kris, is a brilliant player and musical mind. He has always enjoyed his use of interesting time signatures and grooves as well as his improvisational ideas for the group when they were playing.
Number Two features a number of interlocking patterns between the steelpans and bass over the multiple groove foundations of the drum set. The last time Kris performed this piece (on these same pans!) was at his last concert as a band director in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, before he returned to graduate school.
The students Kris performed with had witnessed a performance of the Dave Longfellow Ensemble at a steelpan competition in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and were similarly enamored with the infectious groove of the song.
Much like the lore of the instrument Kris will be playing on March 3rd and 4th, double seconds (which were named because they were the second steelpan invented), Number Two was the 2nd piece for the DLE that Dave wrote.
Kris is truly invested in this piece. He shares: “I absolutely love the opening of the piece that grows from a single player to the entire ensemble in a crescendo of patterns and instruments. The distinctive timbre of the steelpan, an instrument constructed from discarded oil barrels by young people in Trinidad and Tobago in the 1940s, is most definitely highlighted through the harmonic and melodic ideas of Dave Longfellow. I hope to increase the awareness of the Bozeman community to this instrument and am grateful that the BSO and Maestro Savery are allowing us to showcase them as part of the collage concert.”
Several components contribute to the excitement of collage and in Kris’ words, he says: “my understanding of the concept is that the music is non-stop. It breaks up the routine (an admittedly inadequate term) of a normal concert and allows for a chamber experience within the context of a symphony performance. With one piece leading into the next, the audience’s attention is shifted around the stage and the many timbres of the orchestra are showcased to a different level. I look forward to experiencing it as a performer and as an “audience member” when I’m not performing!”
Expanding on these thoughts, Kris shares that by attending a collage performance, audience members will get to see all the many talents of their orchestra and symphonic choir. “They get to hear solos, duets, ensembles and the full orchestra and symphonic choir all in one performance! And, selfishly, we get to play steelpans so they should come to hear that! I just believe it is a tremendous showcase of the talent we have in the BSO and Symphonic Choir and am thrilled to be a part of it!” he says.
Passion for what he does as a musician and community dominate the information Kris has shared with us today. In summary, he says: “as you can see, I struggle at being brief, especially when I’m passionate about something. I love “Short Ride in a Fast Machine” both as a listener and as a performer and am pumped to start rehearsing it. The last time I performed it, I was in college, which was over 20 years ago! I love talking steelpan but it may not interest others as much as it does me. Every time we play Number Two, I envision my friends who developed the parts we are playing and it is almost like I am playing with them. I still am in touch with most of the original members of the Dave Longfellow Ensemble and will be performing with the guitar (cello) player (Jeff Vick’s part) this summer! Hopefully this performance will spark some more interest in the instruments and I can teach more Bozemanites about pan! Thanks!”
As a young violinist, Cade Fiddaman explores multiple styles of music genres. You'll be lucky enough to hear his Celtic playing on March 3rd and 4th.
If you don’t know of him yet, you are about to discover Cade Fiddaman. We might even be bold enough to say, he’ll be the star of the upcoming 50th Anniversary Collage performances on March 3rd and 4th. Moving to Bozeman when he was about five years old, Cade has lived here for 13 years, participating with the Symphony for the past two seasons.
As a home-schooled student, most of Cade’s involvement in the community has been as a violinist/fiddler. In addition to the playing regularly with the Bozeman Symphony, he is currently involved with two contra-dance bands as well as a fiddle/cello duo with his brother.
In 2016, Cade’s violin teacher, Carrie Krause, recommended that he audition for the Symphony. Since, Cade says “I am now on my second season with the orchestra, and have no thoughts of stopping.”
Cade started playing violin when he was just two-and-a-half years old. Originally, he wanted to play the cello (and be like Yo-Yo Ma, he says,) but my parents couldn't find a cello small enough so he took up the violin instead (we think this was the right choice!). When Cade came to Bozeman, he started taking Celtic fiddle lessons, and now plays both Celtic and Classical styles regularly.
About playing music, Cade shares, “I think my favorite thing about playing violin is the ability to put emotion into music, I find this to be one of the most rewarding things there is.”
For Cade, playing in the symphony has been a wonderful experience. It has afforded him the opportunity to play great music with a skilled and dedicated group at a young age. “It has greatly increased my understanding, skill, and enthusiasm” he says.
Michael Mleko (left) and Cade Fiddaman (right) play at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds on July 4, 2016.
The collage experience was introduced to Cade last season as part of Holiday Collage in December, 2016. Cade played as an orchestra member, he did not perform any solo/chamber repertoire. This year, Cade’s solo will be one you’ll instantly start tapping your feet to. He will perform Calliope Meets Frank, a duo with assistant principal cellist Julia Cory Slovarp. The piece is a medley of three Scottish fiddle tunes: Calliope, MacArthur road, and Frank's reel, as arranged by Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas for their album Fire and Grace. This is a modern Scottish style, that although deeply influenced by traditional techniques, has a fresh edge with new grooves and expressions.
About the upcoming concert Cade shares: “I always enjoy listening to other musicians, it is also fun to play so many different styles. The collage program offers a unique glimpse into the members behind the orchestra and their personal styles and ideas, it also is an amazing chance to hear new styles and repertoire.” In other words, “It’s a lot of fun!”
About the upcoming concert Cade shares: “I always enjoy listening to other musicians, it is also fun to play so many different styles. The collage program offers a unique glimpse into the members behind the orchestra and their personal styles and ideas, it also is an amazing chance to hear new styles and repertoire.” In other words, “It’s a lot of fun!”
This very special piece will make you smile with amazement.
 | Not only will you recognize Sandra Stimson as the Principal oboe of the Bozeman Symphony, she is a member of the Absaroka Winds and the Bozeman Trail Chamber Players. These two groups perform chamber music at various locations along with educational shows in local schools. Sandra also performs with the Montana Ballet Company Orchestra in Bozeman. With the Billings and Helena Symphonies she frequently plays English horn. For 15 seasons she served as Principal oboe with the Breckenridge Music Festival Chamber Orchestra in Colorado, a professional summer music festival. Sandra is currently celebrating her 4th season with the Bozeman Symphony! |
Sandra earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Ithaca College and a Master of Music degree from Yale University. Previous orchestral engagements include Principal oboe of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic in Indiana, Principal oboe of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans, Principal oboe of the Billings Symphony and Acting Associate Principal oboe of the Omaha Symphony in Nebraska. Sandra has her own business making oboe and English horn reeds, with sales nationwide. Her website is: sandysreeds.com.
The Absaroka Winds ensemble. Sandra (left) is pictured with Pat and Paul Gates.
During upcoming performances of 50th Anniversary Collage on March 3rd and 4th, Sandra will be featured performing the Rondo movement from Mozart's Oboe Quartet. Musicians Mary Kamack Kothman, violin, Bina Peters, viola, and Julia Cory Slovarp will join her.
When asked about the piece Sandra says: "the Mozart Oboe Quartet is a very special piece to me. I remember as a teenager hearing the piece for the very first time. My parents and my sister "suffered" through a Mozart marathon performance with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in New York. The Oboe Quartet was performed at midnight! Ever since my first hearing of the piece I have performed it all over the country and am very excited to have the chance to perform the final movement on this year's collage concert. The Mozart Quartet is a terrific show piece with Mozart experimenting with the highest range of the oboe. I think Mozart had a wonderful time composing the piece for a oboist friend. If you listen closely you will hear his sense of humor throughout the movement. The piece should really make you smile with amazement."
She also adds: "I am delighted to join my colleagues from the Bozeman Symphony and love the idea of the collage program. Not only is it a showcase for members of the orchestra and chorale but wonderful for individual colleagues to have the chance to hear each other in a chamber music setting."
When asked about the piece Sandra says: "the Mozart Oboe Quartet is a very special piece to me. I remember as a teenager hearing the piece for the very first time. My parents and my sister "suffered" through a Mozart marathon performance with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in New York. The Oboe Quartet was performed at midnight! Ever since my first hearing of the piece I have performed it all over the country and am very excited to have the chance to perform the final movement on this year's collage concert. The Mozart Quartet is a terrific show piece with Mozart experimenting with the highest range of the oboe. I think Mozart had a wonderful time composing the piece for a oboist friend. If you listen closely you will hear his sense of humor throughout the movement. The piece should really make you smile with amazement."
She also adds: "I am delighted to join my colleagues from the Bozeman Symphony and love the idea of the collage program. Not only is it a showcase for members of the orchestra and chorale but wonderful for individual colleagues to have the chance to hear each other in a chamber music setting."
As section leader of the Symphonic Choir's bass section,
Chip Ritter shares his talents with the community.
Chip Ritter shares his talents with the community.
Choir member Chip Ritter has settled into Bozeman, living here for the past seven years. However, his connection and fondness for our town go back to his childhood. Chip's father grew up in Bozeman along with four siblings and because he chose to serve in the Army, Chip didn’t grow up here. Regardless, some of Chip's first memories are of visiting his grandparents at their house on South 5th Ave.
Chip’s wife Nicole was born and raised in Great Falls and like many with roots in Montana, the couple looked for ways to come home after school, starting careers and, in their case, living abroad. When they moved back to the U.S., Chip and Nicole had family and a support system ready here in Montana. And, they’ve been here ever since! Chip says they couldn’t be happier with their choice, and neither could the Bozeman Symphony!
With two kids in the Bozeman Public Schools, Chip volunteers as much as he is able in their classrooms and for the activities they’re involved with. Whether it’s teaching coding sessions to his daughter’s class or working on Emily Dickinson’s new playground, he feels it is satisfying to be part of the “public” in public schools.
With a son in High School (a freshman at BHS) parental involvement has taken on a whole new meaning. He’s involved in cross country, marching band, and speech and debate, so opportunities to support him and those activities abound.
Chip’s wife Nicole was born and raised in Great Falls and like many with roots in Montana, the couple looked for ways to come home after school, starting careers and, in their case, living abroad. When they moved back to the U.S., Chip and Nicole had family and a support system ready here in Montana. And, they’ve been here ever since! Chip says they couldn’t be happier with their choice, and neither could the Bozeman Symphony!
With two kids in the Bozeman Public Schools, Chip volunteers as much as he is able in their classrooms and for the activities they’re involved with. Whether it’s teaching coding sessions to his daughter’s class or working on Emily Dickinson’s new playground, he feels it is satisfying to be part of the “public” in public schools.
With a son in High School (a freshman at BHS) parental involvement has taken on a whole new meaning. He’s involved in cross country, marching band, and speech and debate, so opportunities to support him and those activities abound.
Chip with his wife Nicole Rosenleaf Ritter, an alto in the Symphonic choir, and their two children.
The couple auditioned for the Symphonic Choir the first fall they were in Bozeman. It wasn’t even a question Chip says. “We met singing, and music had been a part of our lives since we were kids. We hadn’t had the opportunity to sing with a group like this for quite a long time and needed, quite literally needed, to have music and singing part of our lives again. We’ve been singing with the Symphonic Choir ever since.”
Like many children, Chip started playing instruments in elementary school. Beginning with the trumpet in 4th grade, in middle school moving to the baritone, and in high school playing the tuba. Band was his thing. During sophomore year of high school, he saw some friends in a school musical and said to himself, “I need to do that!” and joined choir the next semester.
Like many children, Chip started playing instruments in elementary school. Beginning with the trumpet in 4th grade, in middle school moving to the baritone, and in high school playing the tuba. Band was his thing. During sophomore year of high school, he saw some friends in a school musical and said to himself, “I need to do that!” and joined choir the next semester.
 | Singing in choirs has given Chip so many opportunities, and he says he couldn’t be more grateful. “I met my best friends singing in college. I met my wife Nicole singing with the Montana Youth Choir under the direction of my uncle, Paul Ritter. I’ve been able to travel and sing in famous venues across Europe and made the world a little smaller communing with singers in those countries through music. Making music isn’t just something I love to do. It is the centerpiece of my personal wellness plan. I look forward to Monday night rehearsals every week. Afterward, I feel as good as if I’d just spent two hours at the gym or on a hike. It’s the same high for me. And, when the season is over, I miss that time terribly.” About being a part of the Symphony Chip says: “It’s given me the opportunity to give back to Bozeman. It’s kept me healthy. It’s introduced me to new people and allowed me to make new friends. I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunity.” |
With past participation as part of small groups that were featured during the last two collage concerts, Chip will be a featured soloist this time around. For the upcoming performances on March 3rd and 4th, he will sing a piece entitled Fussreise from Hugo Wolf’s (1860-1903) Mörike-leider (1888), settings of poems by Eduard Mörike (1804-1875).
Fussreise relays the storyteller’s experience of how walking through the woods makes him feel closer to his Creator, like Adam must have felt in the first days of Eden, and his hopes to remain present in that moment. Chip says: “I think it’s particularly relatable for Bozeman.” Fellow Symphonic Choir member and piano teacher, Karen Abelin (soprano) will join Chip as his accompanist.
We asked Chip what makes collage concerts so exciting to which he says: “collage concerts are exciting because they give us musicians a chance let loose a little. We get to sing and play pieces we wouldn’t normally get to perform for you—pieces audience members might not have a chance to experience here in Bozeman. Collage concerts are as much fun for us as we hope they are for the audience.”
Fussreise relays the storyteller’s experience of how walking through the woods makes him feel closer to his Creator, like Adam must have felt in the first days of Eden, and his hopes to remain present in that moment. Chip says: “I think it’s particularly relatable for Bozeman.” Fellow Symphonic Choir member and piano teacher, Karen Abelin (soprano) will join Chip as his accompanist.
We asked Chip what makes collage concerts so exciting to which he says: “collage concerts are exciting because they give us musicians a chance let loose a little. We get to sing and play pieces we wouldn’t normally get to perform for you—pieces audience members might not have a chance to experience here in Bozeman. Collage concerts are as much fun for us as we hope they are for the audience.”
Members of the bass section having way too much fun!
In Chip’s words, if you haven’t seen a collage performance before, “they are incredibly fun! You just don’t know what’s going to come at you next. It could be an opera chorus, a percussion piece, solo violin, full orchestra, uplifting, dramatic, humorous, silly…it’s a unique musical experience!”
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