FROM THE BOARD ROOM

Welcome, everyone, to the 2023-2024 season of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra.  We are looking forward to you joining us and enjoying this coming season.  Let me highlight some of the Symphony’s many programs for these coming months.

Did you know we have nine—yes nine—offerings from the Orchestra Series, all chosen or led by our maestro, John Morris Russell.  That’s right, he of the red socks fame worn during the holiday season.  His music choices are very varied and enjoyable.  In addition to this series, we also will produce two Symphony Under the Stars outdoor programs, with two performances in October in Bluffton and on Hilton Head Island (take your pick, or even go to both, as my wife and I have!) and one in April on Hilton Head Island.

If the above doesn’t get your heart racing, try our monthly Coastal Home Supper Club with music and dinners on Sundays at SoundWaves, showcasing a wide variety of music for all tastes along with your choices of food from the menus of local restaurants in Coligny.

Someone might ask, “Is that all you have?” and the answer would be a resounding, NO.  Have you heard of our BravoPiano! Festival?  This delightful set of performances by award-winning pianists will be in late February into early March 2024 and allows our winners from prior piano competitions to show us all how they have continued to grow and excel in classical piano performances.  As a preview in November, the HHIPC will host a festival banquet and auction for your participation.

Are we done?  Nope.  Have you become familiar with the Hilton Head Chamber Music Institute, which is held in June of each year at SoundWaves?  Under the guidance of four outstanding instructors in the worlds of violin, viola and cello, 16 high school-aged performers from all over the country vie for the opportunity to participate.  All these young performers excel in their musical fields, and together present chamber quartet music to the delight of all of us listeners.

The summer months of 2024 look to be free, right?  The answer is YES as to being free of ticket cost, but consider coming to Lowcountry Celebration Park, as we did this year, to listen to free jazz performances by some of the region’s best performers.  You can bring your best cocktail, an outside chair or two and dinner for your group, and from 7:30 to 9:30 pm be entertained with performances from practitioners of this most American of musical arts.

Now I don’t know about you, but my fellow directors and I already want to applaud Alan Jordan, our President and CEO, as well as Mario Incorvaia, our Chief Operating Officer, for all their efforts to present this entire string of outstanding musical performances.

I hope you are as excited as I am about the season coming up for the HHSO.  Both my wife, Sue, and I look forward to being with you during many performances of various kinds.  Please come and enjoy with us. Thank you, and please continue to support your HHSO!

—Mike Harter, Chairman, Board of Directors

FROM THE PODIUM

The HHSO concert season starts a little later than most orchestras, as the warmth of summer stretches well into early autumn in the Lowcountry; but just past the equinox we feel the pull to interior spaces and a yearning for music-making during those lingering evenings of fall. We start off with a bang—Symphonie fantastique, by the wildly creative Hector Berlioz. Most everyone knows the story of the composer’s dream-like fantasy, fueled by the sometimes ecstatic, sometimes terrifying haze of opium (check out the program notes on line for the full scoop). It is evocative musical story-telling at its best. In an age before cinema, the piece was written with a detailed “program” (a brief, but specific story Berlioz wrote to accompany his symphony) so that the experience of listening to the work plays out in the technicolor of imagination. The work was created at the dawn of mass entertainment—when concerts went from the intimate concert halls of royalty, to large theaters built for the burgeoning audiences of the early industrial age—not unlike the giant movie palaces built across the country during the golden years of Hollywood.  It is ironic that as films today become more and more relegated to little black boxes in multiplexes, that orchestras are making many of those grand old movie houses into concert halls.

As 19^th century concert venues became larger and larger, so too, did the orchestra, to fill those cavernous halls with impactful sound. Brass instruments, especially, were utilized to give orchestral music more punch; newly designed woodwind instruments created opportunities for a deeper palate of tone colors, and the string family swelled in numbers to balance it all. And then there was percussion, that had been used rather sparingly in the 18^th century, but came into its own as a distinctive musical “family” with Berlioz’s inventive orchestration. The use of church bells in the last movement of Symphonie fantastique was one of his strokes of genius. We will be using a couple spectacular bells for our performances—both cast specifically for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra by the Verdin Bell Company. They are large, heavy and LOUD—you can check them out at both of our outdoor concerts on October 19 and 20 in Bluffton and Coligny, before you’ll hear them in their full-throated glory in our opening concerts.

Music, or course, still drives the emotional narrative in film and so I’ve paired the Symphonie fantastique with a couple masterpieces of cinematic music: Bernard Herrmann’s Suite from “Psycho” and Michael Abels’s Suite from “Us”. These works make much with very little—Herrmann’s score is written for string orchestra and Abels’ is for a small orchestra and chamber choir, but both are equally evocative and chilling. We also have a narrated piece, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” which ingeniously blends early American folk songs with the words of Washington Irving.

In November we present the triumphant return of HHIPC silver medalist Illia Ovcharenko performing back-to-back Liszt piano concertos. He is a deeply emotional and committed musician—you might remember his passionate Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto during the HHIPC finals concert in 2021. We bookend the concert with two favorite Wagner overtures: Die Meistersinger and Flying Dutchman. These are both mini tone-poems—like the Symphonie fantastique but on a smaller scale, revealing the story of each opera through the ingenious use of thematic materials and the listeners imagination.

It’s never too early to reserve your seats for Holiday Pops—it comes right on the heels of Thanksgiving weekend and I’ve packed it with classic songs and carols, sentimental favorites and spectacular new and fun arrangements. Bring your friends and make it a party!

I look forward to seeing you all very soon, and bringing our new orchestral season to life.

Cheers.

—John Morris Russell, Music Director

From the SoundWaves Studio

Coastal Home Supper Club, Gullah Cultural Series, Broadway Icons!

Exciting times abound here at SoundWaves this fall as we begin the third season of our deliciously popular Coastal Home Supper Club, serving favorite entrées flavored in a variety of styles: music of the increasingly popular Yacht Rock genre in September, endearing ballads of Broadway antagonists in October, a nod to Ol’ Blue Eyes (our own way, of course) in November, and a holiday treat in December. Vocalist Gretchen Kristine Stelzer returns to serve us these monthly feasts of music.

In partnership with Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park, The Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island, and Native Island Business and Community Affairs Association, we continue our Lowcountry inspired Gullah Cultural Series, riding its inaugural coastal tidal wave of success into an expanded second season. Led again by Lavon Stevens and featuring more of the impressive voices of our Gullah Geechee heroes who enraptured us last year, our distinguished guests again will share touching stories of Island life through the eyes of Hilton Head’s native-born population. Opening in October, this dinner and concert event series also features delectable meals: always authentic Gullah-Geechee cuisine and always prepared by authentic Gullah Geechee chefs.

This fall, we introduce our new Broadway Icons dinner and concert series, a new partnership with Savannah’s American Traditions Vocal Collective. Together, we bring three of ATC’s gold medalists back to the Lowcountry for feature cabaret performances at SoundWaves, September through December. The three-event mini-series highlights some of the greatest in American vocal music, spanning Broadway and beyond, performed by superstar vocalists, and backed-up by a rhythm section comprised of the best musicians in the Lowcountry. In September, Mikki Sodergren, 2014 American Traditions Competition winner and ATC Executive and Artistic Director, opens the series with an exquisite program of some of her favorite songs leading from Broadway into the silver screen, and finally to include beloved classical melodies. In November, Erica Gabriel, 2018 ATC Gold Medalist (and some may remember 2021 Symphony Under the Stars guest artist), treats us to a program that leans into Spirituals. In December, Alysha Umphress, 2023 ATC Gold Medal winner (and Hildy in Broadway’s On The Town), helps us close the year with Bluesy seasonal festivities.

SoundWaves continues to maintain its supportive role in the community serving as the location for Lean Ensemble Theater education and outreach performances, and community organization meetings of the Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island board, Sea Turtle Patrol, and HHI Arts and Culture Council.

As always, join us this season for many rewarding shared experiences, whether as a patron in the audience or as an integral member of our volunteer team. You will reengage with longtime friends and meet new ones in the season ahead.

And remember, when you are out and about town, tell your friends: I’ll see you at SoundWaves!

—Mario Incorvaia, HHSO Chief Operating Officer

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How Can I Help?

Ever thought about becoming more involved with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra? There are many opportunities available:

• Out-of-town members of the Orchestra require overnight accommodation during productions. This usually involves 2-4 nights with a private bed and bath. Lifetime relationships have often resulted and led to meals together and, most-frequently, post-concert chats over an adult beverage.
• Ushers are always needed at our Orchestra Series concerts at First Presbyterian Church as well as at SoundWaves. In addition to meeting and greeting our very-well-behaved patrons, ushers get to enjoy a performance for free!
• There are many Board standing committees with opportunities for non-Directors to participate. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; Education and Community Engagement; Marketing; and Resource Development are among the options.
• Our hard-working League is always looking for additional hands to lighten the load. Whether it’s volunteering for an event such as the “Swing Fore The Symphony!” Golf Tournament, Spring Fashion Show, or a Musicale, fun is always involved.

If you are interested, send an e-mail to info@hhso.org and someone will follow up with you.

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From the Corner Office

Many HHSO patrons, the staff, and our Board recognize Jim Way as the mainstay of the HHSO, having worked here for more than 25 years, with a knowledge of the history and personalities that make up our organization that far surpasses anyone else. For many, he is the voice and face of the HHSO. Practically from the day I arrived, Jim and I have had conversations about his inevitable cutting back.

First, there was COVID. Jim wanted to see the organization through that terrible disruption. Then, he wanted to be here until “things got back to normal.” Well, as we have learned, there was no such return but, instead, we now work with a “new normal.” Through a season of live-streams, pandemic restrictions, distancing, slower-than-desired live audience rebuilding, and a reinvention at SoundWaves that has resulted in perennially sold-out events, Jim has quietly—and with only the very occasional grumble—persevered, always making sure everything under his control was properly prepared and accomplished. I’ve said that before Jim leaves, we will need to hook up a USB cable to his brain and download everything stored in there that is HHSO-related!

Finding the right person to succeed Jim in his full-time capacity has been a daunting—indeed, something worth putting off—task and, yet (and to paraphrase an oft-used Hollywood quote), the solution was right in front of our eyes: Susan Hartmann joined the staff in April, 2022, as Development Associate. She has agreed to move to full-time as our new Patron Relations Manager. (Jim’s current title is Administrative Manager, so a little responsibility-shifting will take place.) In her current role, and with her career experience, Susan quickly mastered our patron and donor database and has already gotten to know many of our HHSO family. Those who do not yet know Susan will very quickly grow to love and appreciate her.

The transition process for such a long-term employee cannot be accomplished quickly.  During this fall, patrons will see both Susan and Jim at concerts and in the office. Indeed, the timeline for Jim’s scaling back has yet to be set, but we think he is looking forward to a reduction in his staff commitment to the HHSO. And we know he is looking forward to having more time to pursue other personal interests and to coming to HHSO concerts purely as an appreciative audience member.

There will be future opportunities to recognize Jim for his devoted service to the HHSO. For the time being, we hope the HHSO family will join me in thanking Jim for all he has done—and will continue to do—and welcoming Susan to a larger role.

—Alan Jordan, President and CEO

Upcoming Events 

Buy Tickets

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Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 7:30 pm

(doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner served at 6:30 pm), SoundWaves, HHI 

Gullah Cultural Series

Details to be announced soon. Watch for updates at hhso.org. To make a reservation, call (843) 842-2055.

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Monday, October 16, 2023

Wexford Golf Course, HHI

Swing Fore The Symphony! Golf Tournament

Foursomes and sponsorships are still available. Not a golfer? Join us for the fun post-tournament reception and auction at the Clubhouse.

Details

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Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 7:30 pm

(doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner served at 6:30 pm), SoundWaves, HHI 

Gullah Cultural Series

Details to be announced soon. Watch for updates at hhso.org. To make a reservation, call (843) 842-2055.

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2023-2024 Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors