Season 13
1964-1965
Roster
Seniors
October 1964 Concert
Concert Program Overview
October 1964 CYS concert featured four major works. The program opened with Antonin Leopold Dvorak's Symphony No. 4 in G, Op. 88, which included the movements Allegro, Adagio, Allegretto grazioso, and Allegro ma non troppo. Following this, the orchestra presented the Concerto No. 2 in E flat for Horn (1943) by Richard Strauss, consisting of an Allegro and an Andante movement. This performance was particularly significant as 1964 marked Strauss's Centennial in global musical circles. The concert continued with Aram Khachaturian's Masquerade, Suite for Orchestra, a suite comprised of the Waltz, Nocturne, Romance, Mazurka, and Galop movements. The entire program concluded with España by Alexis Emmanuel Chabrier, a work described as an outstanding example of Spanish music.
Featured Soloist: Wendell Rider (Horn)
The featured soloist for the Strauss horn concerto was Wendell Rider. At the time of the concert, Wendell was sixteen years old and a junior at Carlmont High School in Belmont. He is the son of Mrs. Margaret Rider of San Carlos, and his French Horn teacher is Mr. Charles Bubb. Wendell is an exceptionally accomplished musician, having joined the CYS five years prior and serving as the principal horn player for the last three years. In addition to his CYS role, he plays first horn in the Peninsula Symphony and actively participates in several brass ensembles. His commitment and skill are demonstrated by his achievement of the highest rating, a command performance, at the previous year's Northern California Music Educators' Solo and Ensemble Festival. He also earned a spot as a member of the all-state symphonic honor band when it met in Fresno. Wendell won the opportunity to perform his concerto by competing against other talented musicians in the annual CYS auditions held the previous April. Furthermore, his musical journey included a previous appearance as a soloist with the Sequoia Honor Orchestra during his freshman year. Outside of his musical pursuits, Wendell has a passion for photography and personally took many of the pictures utilized in the CYS programs and publicity materials.
March 1965 Concert
Concert Program Overview
The California Youth Symphony's Second Annual KCBS Radio Music 'Til Dawn concert was held at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. The program featured six works:
The concert began with the Overture - “Orpheus in the Underworld” by Jacques Offenbach.
This was followed by two operatic arias: the Aria “Dove sono” from The Marriage of Figaro by W. A. Mozart, and the Aria “Si mi chiamano Mimi” from La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini. Both arias were performed by soprano soloist Miss Sharon Hayes.
Next on the program was the Swan Lake Ballet Suite by Peter Tschaikovski, which included five parts: Scene, Valse, Danse des Cygnes, another Scene, and Danse Hongroise (Czardas).
After an intermission, the orchestra performed A Lincoln Portrait by Aaron Copland, featuring Kenneth Ackerman as the Narrator.
The program continued with the first movement, Allegro maestoso, of the First Concerto in E minor, Op. 11 by Frederic Chopin, with Paul Mihaly as the piano soloist.
The concert concluded with Hungarian Rhapsodie Number Two by Franz Liszt.
Featured Soloists
Sharon Hayes - Soprano
Sharon Hayes was an eighteen-year-old soprano from Burlingame, the daughter of Mrs. Ophelia Hayes of Burlingame. Her voice teacher was Mr. Donald Stenberg. Sharon was a senior at Burlingame High School and was highly active in various musical groups, including the A Cappella Choir, the Burlingales, a girls singing group, the Music Club, and the Music Commission. She had numerous performance experiences across the Bay Area as a soloist, including at the Berkeley Junior Bach Festival in 1963 and 1964, and at the University of Pacific Music Camp. She also appeared as a soloist in Carmina Burana in the summer of 1964 and in the operetta The Mikado. Her vocal excellence was recognized with several awards for her singing, including three first division command performances at the Bay Area Music Educators Festivals, the first-place award at the Elks Club National Youth Day in 1962, and the Outstanding Vocalist Award at the University of Pacific in the summer of 1963. She hoped to make music her profession.
Paul Mihaly - Pianist
Paul Mihaly was a nineteen-year-old piano soloist, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Mihaly of Santa Rosa. He began playing piano by ear when he was five and a half years old, and later received formal training from Irene Fryer of Santa Rosa, with whom he studied for ten years. During his school years, he consistently performed at State Music Festivals, winning several Command Performances. Paul had studied with Adolph Baller at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and, in January 1962, he won the Press-Democrat-Etude Music Scholarship and the Lillian Hodgehead Award at the San Francisco Conservatory. On March 16, 1964, he was granted a Ford Foundation full tuition scholarship to the San Francisco Conservatory. He had previously been a soloist with the Sonoma County Junior Symphony and attended the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, where he studied with Gyorgy Sandor. In the summer of 1964, he studied with Reginald Stewart and won the Stanley S. Slotkia Award. Paul also performed on the radio program “Musical Showcase.” On April 12, 1964, he was presented in a recital after being selected during their annual auditions and also performed as a soloist with the Santa Rosa-Sonoma County Symphony Orchestra for their annual youth concert on March 31, 1964. He was the President of the Pacific Junior Musical Society of San Francisco.
May 1965 Concert
Concert Program Overview
CYS May 1965 concert program showcased a powerful selection of Romantic and early 20th-century orchestral masterpieces, featuring a prominent guest violinist. The program was a brilliant blend of tone poems, a monumental symphony, and one of the most beloved violin concertos in the repertoire.
Part I: Opening Works
The Swan of Tuonela (Legend) by Jean Sibelius (1865–1957)
This is the third of four movements from Sibelius's Lemminkäinen Suite, or Four Legends. Composed in the 1890s, it is one of the Finnish composer's most famous works and an early example of his masterful tone painting. The music depicts the mythical swan swimming on the black river surrounding Tuonela, the land of the dead in Finnish mythology. The eerie, haunting melody is famously carried by the English Horn, which was performed by soloist Jeff Noe for this program.
Symphony No. 5 in D Major, Opus 107, “Reformation” by Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Despite its number, this was actually the second full-scale symphony Mendelssohn completed. He composed it in 1830 to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, a foundational document of the Lutheran faith. The symphony is often described as programmatic, as it musically references the struggle and triumph of the Protestant Reformation. Its use of the sacred motif known as the "Dresden Amen" in the first movement and, most significantly, the inclusion of Martin Luther's chorale “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God) as the basis for the glorious finale, solidified its dedication. Though not published until 1868, 21 years after Mendelssohn's death, this work remains a passionate and historically significant composition. The listed movements—Andante, Allegro con fuoco, Allegro vivace, Andante, Andante con moto—Allegro vivace, Allegro maestoso—demonstrate its dramatic scope and ceremonial nature.
Part II: Concerto and Grand Finale
Concerto for Violin in E Minor by Felix Mendelssohn (1809–1847)
Mendelssohn's final major orchestral work, completed in 1844, is arguably the most popular and frequently performed violin concerto in the repertoire. It is renowned for its lyrical beauty, passionate melodies, and brilliant structure. Unlike earlier concertos, it begins immediately with the soloist, creating a sense of urgency, and features a unique linking passage between the movements. The three movements listed on the program—Allegro molto appassionato, Andante, and Allegretto non troppo... Allegro molto vivace—highlight the work's emotional depth, from the fervent intensity of the first movement to the dazzling lightness of the finale. The featured artist for this major work was the guest soloist, David Abel.
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by Paul Dukas (1865–1935)
Subtitled "Scherzo after a ballad by Goethe," this symphonic poem was completed in 1897 and is by far the French composer's most famous work. It is a highly descriptive and humorous musical retelling of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's 1797 ballad, Der Zauberlehrling. The music vividly narrates the story of a young apprentice who, in his master's absence, uses a spell to bring a broomstick to life to fetch water. The apprentice forgets the counter-spell, leading to an escalating comic disaster where the home floods until the sorcerer returns just in time to stop the chaos. The piece's enduring worldwide popularity was greatly cemented by its inclusion in Walt Disney's 1940 animated film Fantasia, featuring Mickey Mouse as the hapless apprentice.
Featured Soloist
David Abel - Violinist
The May 1965 program prominently featured David Abel, a violinist celebrated for his extraordinary technique and warm tone, who performed the demanding Mendelssohn Violin Concerto.
Born in Washington and a resident of California, Abel's principal teacher was the eminent violinist Naoum Blinder, a connection that placed him within an important lineage of American string playing. He made his professional debut at the remarkably young age of 14 with the San Francisco Symphony.
Mr. Abel was highly esteemed in the United States, having been the featured soloist on a national tour with the Minneapolis Symphony under the direction of Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. His reputation as a major guest artist was confirmed by his appearances with orchestras in numerous major cities, including Boston, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Denver, Chicago, Oklahoma City, and Honolulu.
