Program
Danse Nègre from African Suite, Op. 35, No. 4
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Concertone for Two Violins and Orchestra in C major, K. 190
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Xaman Nivon, violin
Ashley Rose, violin
~ Intermission ~
Emperor Waltz, Op. 437
Johann Strauss II
Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo
Aaron Copland
I. Buckaroo Holiday
II. Corral Nocturne
III. Saturday Night Waltz
IV. Hoe-Down
PERFORMERS
Martín Alexander Arellano
Conductor
Martín Alexander Arellano is an award-winning conductor and composer of Nicaraguan & Mexican descent. He grew up between both the Los Angeles area and the Central Valley of California. Alex is the Conductor of the Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra and current Music Director of the North Bay Chamber Orchestra in Tampa, FL as well as the Central California Wind Ensemble based in Turlock, CA. Alex holds conducting degrees from the Strasbourg Conservatoire in France and the University of Iowa in the US.
Alex is a multi-laureate of the American Prize in Music—winning in Opera Conducting, and placing in Community Orchestra, Musical Theater, and Wind Ensemble Conducting between 2024 & 2025. In 2023, he received the second jury prize at the Opéra de Baugé International Conducting Competition in France.
Xaman Nivon
Violin
Xaman Nivon is a Los Angeles based violinist and violist who performs regularly as a chamber and orchestral musician. Her passion for music and giving back to the community runs deep. Currently she serves as Executive Director and Strings Coach for the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra, and is Concertmaster for Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra. Xaman also freelances in the greater Los Angeles area, maintaining her private studio and performing with symphony orchestras and other ensembles. She enjoys spending time with loved ones, connecting with nature, and spoiling her cat, Rose.
Ashley Rose
Violin
Ashley Rose has been passionate about the performing arts for as long as she can remember. Whether through music, acting, or storytelling, she has always been drawn to creative expression and the power of connecting with others through performance.
Ashley began studying violin at age twelve and quickly developed a love for playing in an ensemble. Over the years, she expanded her musical experience to include viola, cello, trombone, and percussion, gaining an appreciation for a wide range of instruments. After completing college, she stepped away from music for several years to pursue her training in acting.
She got the opportunity to rejoin the music industry when she joined the Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra, where she currently serves as Principal Second Violin. Since returning, she has enjoyed rediscovering the challenges and camaraderie that comes with performing orchestral music.
When she is not performing, Ashley enjoys reading fantasy novels, gaming, all things Disney, and creating silly content with her husband through their YouTube channel, PanAsh Equine.
Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra
Thank you to the sponsors listed in italics.
Violin 1
Xaman Nivon, Concertmaster
Andrea Ayers (Jeremy Ayers)
Aubrey Reynolds
Cassie Borrish
Ellen Buczko
Bess Knight (Chuck & Bess Knight)
Gabriel Ramirez
Karla Torres-Vazquez
Violin 2
Ashley Rose, Principal (Greg & Cassie Borish)
Mary Mijangos Chan
Mark Goodman
Ethan Lindsey
Viola
Lisa Curtis Saunders, Acting Principal
Katie Adler
Katie Boyle
Hailey Simmons (Mary Roberti)
Cello
Stephen Hyde, Principal (Richard Smykle)
Beryl Canale
Susy Christiansen
Jennifer Miles
Jean Wertz
Double Bass
Eric Alehouse, Principal
Nathan Cardenas
Frank Castellanos
Zachary Pickens
Flute
Ashley Turner, Principal
Vicki Galarneau (Vicki Galarneau)
Megan Lee, Piccolo
Oboe
Julie Vazquez, Acting Principal (Marcus Vazquez)
Sarah Bloxham, English Horn
Clarinet
Shannon Thomas, Principal
Lyndsi Gutierrez (Sandra Wilcher)
David Oh
Bassoon
Nathaniel Edison, Principal
Peggi Stoffel
French Horn
J.R. Hills, Principal (Cathy and Phil Lichtenberger)
Lori Howell (J.R. Hills)
Edward House
Otfrid Liepack
Trumpet
Ben Sanchez, Principal
Dylan Weddle
Trombone
Steven Reynolds, Acting Principal
David Santamaria
Caden Piro, Bass Trombone
Tuba
Jeffrey Rice, Principal
Timpani
Darryl Ball, Principal
Percussion
Alysa Branda
German Canto
Kristin Hedtke
Sandra Wilcher
Harp
Liz Zosseder
Piano & Celeste
Patrick Karamian
About the Music
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875–1912)
Danse Nègre from African Suite, Op. 35, No. 4 (1898)
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a young British composer of mixed English and Sierra Leonean heritage who became one of the most celebrated musicians in England before his death at just 37. He wrote the African Suite in 1898 after meeting the African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, who encouraged him to explore his African heritage.
Danse Nègre is the finale of that suite, and is high-energy, rhythmically propulsive, and impossible to sit still through. Listen for the way the main theme keeps returning, each time with more momentum behind it, like a dance that refuses to let you leave the floor.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791)
Concertone for Two Violins and Orchestra in C major, K. 190 (1774)
Mozart was only 18 when he wrote this piece.
The Concertone is a work for two solo violins and orchestra that puts both soloists in a conversation with each other and with the orchestra. Try to imagine the piece as a friendly musical argument between equals, as the two violins trade phrases, finish each other's sentences, and occasionally team up against the orchestra. This piece is intimate and playful, rather than grand and showy. Listen for the slow middle movement when the two soloists 'speak' directly to each other, almost privately, while the orchestra listens in.
Johann Strauss II (1825–1899)
Emperor Waltz, Op. 437 (1889)
There's actually a diplomatic story behind this one. The Emperor Waltz was composed to mark the meeting between the long-reigning Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph and the new German Emperor Wilhelm II, as a kind of musical "toast of friendship." Strauss originally titled it Hand in Hand, but his publisher suggested Kaiser-Walzer because the title could cleverly allude to either monarch.
The piece opens first with a stately march that slowly builds, hinting at the theme of the first waltz before building to a climax that subsides into a cello solo. The waltz then begins in full force, with a sweeping, elegant, Viennese feel. By the time we reach the fourth waltz section, you'll understand exactly why they called Strauss the Waltz King!
Aaron Copland (1900–1990)
Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo (1942/1943)
I. Buckaroo Holiday
II. Corral Nocturne
III. Saturday Night Waltz
IV. Hoe-Down
Aaron Copland, a Brooklyn-born son of Russian Jewish immigrants who studied music in Paris, was known as the "Dean of American Music". His distinctly open harmonies and frequent use of folk music have created a distinctly American sound that conjures up images of the western frontier and pioneer spirit.
Rodeo tells the story of a tomboyish cowgirl trying to fit in on a ranch, and the four dance episodes translate the ballet's story into an orchestral storyline: the raucous opening "Buckaroo Holiday" introduces life on a ranch; "Corral Nocturne" captures the cowgirl's loneliness in a melancholy melody from the wind section; and "Saturday Night Waltz" finds her left on her own as everyone else pairs up at the dance. Then comes "Hoe-Down", likely the most famous part of the ballet (when you hear it you'll recognize it!). The tune is based on a Kentucky fiddler's melody called "Bonaparte's Retreat," which was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Brace yourself for the brass!
This performance is supported, in part, by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.
Corporate Sponsors
Individual Sponsors
Mezzo forte
Greg and Cassie Borish
Chuck and Bess Knight
Mike Wertz, Realty Executives Valencia
Mezzo piano
Jeremy Ayers
Huong Le & Thang Nguyen
Mary Roberti
Sandra Wilcher
Piano
J.R. Hills
Donald Trepczyk
Pianissimo
Waldo Cruz
Jennifer Gregg
Rita Hughes
Rebecca Kellogg
Megan Lee
Colleen O-Lear
Cristina Ramirez
Julie Vazquez
Joshua Wenz
SUPPORT THE ARTS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
Please consider supporting SCSO with a tax-deductible gift.*
There are many ways to support SCSO, but no matter how you give, your contribution benefits our programming, our community programs, our artists, and our community.
-
Direct Donations
-
Corporate Sponsorships
-
Ralph Rewards
-
Donate Your Vehicle
-
Volunteer your time
*Santa Clarita Symphony Orchestra is a Section 501(c)3 nonprofit (EIN: 88-4299007) and your gift may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes.
Board & Staff
President
Cassie Borish
Vice President
Bess Knight
Secretary
J.R. Hills
Treasurer
Brian M. Harris
Executive Director
Ashley Turner
Administrative Coordinator
Patrick Karamian
Marketing & Creative
Susy Christiansen
Advisor
Hailey Simmons
Advisor
Logan Turner
Advisor
Julie Vasquez
Interested in volunteering, joining our board, or
finding other ways to help spread the music?
Thank you!
Thank you to our donors and sponsors; your generosity has directly supported music in Santa Clarita and has made this concert possible.
Thank you to the William S. Hart School District for their support and use of their facilities for our rehearsals.
Special thanks go out to the Canyon High School Performing Arts Center and to Don Pittman for his generous time and talent.
Big thanks go out to our volunteers, our board members, and all the talented musicians who make this orchestra a strong and vibrant part of our community.
And the biggest thanks go to you, our audience members, for joining us for this special concert. We hope to see you at our next performance!
