Table of Contents
- From The Hilton Head International Piano Competition 2025 preview
- From the Corner Office –“The Home Stretch” Article by Alan Jordan, President and CEO
- From the Podium Article by John Morris Russell, Music Director
- FROM THE SOUNDWAVES STUDIO — SoundWaves Diary Entry Excerpts – January, February, March… Article by Mario Incorvaia, HHSO Chief Operating Officer.
- From the Other End of the Hallway Article by Steven Shaiman, Hilton Head International Piano Competition Director
- From the Boardroom Article by Mary Princing, Chair, HHSO Board of Directors
- Upcoming Events
- Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra (HHSO) Racial Equality Statement
- Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors
From The Hilton Head International Piano Competition 2025 preview
Those of you who know me well know that I am a huge sports fan, and at this time of year, many people talk about “March Madness” as the culmination of the college basketball season. But in Hilton Head, “March Madness” has an entirely different meaning!
We are now headed into the home stretch of planning for this year’s competition, and I know that all our volunteers (especially our dedicated Committee members and our wonderful host families) are extremely excited to welcome our competitors here from March 10-17! This is the 27th competition, and our “20 for 2025” field of outstanding pianists ranges in age from 20-30 and represents ten countries. These gifted musicians were selected by a jury of internationally renowned pianists from our original pool of 193 applicants from 30 different nations!
And speaking of juries, the panel for our own “March Madness” is comprised of seven highly accomplished piano professionals (representing six countries) who will listen to all twenty competitors perform two rounds of recital programs, which take place at St. Luke’s Anglican Church (Monday, March 10 – Thursday, March 13; 1:30-9:30 pm each day). Just one highlight of these early rounds is a brand new solo piece that we commissioned for this competition from renowned American composer Lowell Liebermann. Each competitor is required to play this work that has never been heard before, so we will be treated to 20 world premiere performances!
On Thursday evening, the judges are challenged to choose six semifinalists, who then give a 50-minute recital featuring different repertoire on Saturday, March 15 (1:00-9:15pm at First Presbyterian Church). Immediately after that, the judges select three finalists, each of whom will perform a full piano concerto with the HHSO and Maestro JMR on Monday evening, March 17 (7:00 pm at First Presbyterian). Later Monday night, we will announce the winners and award the prizes in front of what we expect will be a sold-out house, so please be sure to buy your tickets soon! A reception follows.
Our judges also have a busy day on Friday, March 14, which is our Master Class day at St. Luke’s Anglican Church (9:30 am-4:55pm), featuring each juror working with a competitor of their choice on a piece performed earlier in the week. As an added bonus, our jury chair and celebrated Bach interpreter, Simone Dinnerstein, will present an engaging lecture/recital (1:10-2:10 pm) entitled, “PURE MUSIC: The 15 Sinfonias of J.S. Bach,” focused on the legendary composer’s three-part inventions, so please join us for that!
Another highlight among many of our competitors during their time here is our innovative Ambassador education program, which brings them into local schools and community centers to perform for students and seniors. These interactive presentations are often life-changing experiences—both for the audiences who gain from watching and listening to these talented young artists, and for the pianists themselves, who gain invaluable experience engaging with community audiences in these intimate settings.
It will be an exhilarating week, so I urge all of you to join us as often as your schedule allows, especially in the early rounds as we get to know these pianists (and our special $60 Gold Pass gets you into all four days of Rounds I and II with a $20 savings!). Plus, for those of you who are unable to be with us in person, I am delighted to announce that, once again, we will be livestreaming every single performance during the competition rounds via the HHIPC website.
I look forward to seeing you often in the coming weeks, and I say, “Let the Madness begin!”
—Steven Shaiman, Director, Hilton Head International Piano Competition
From the Corner Office
“The Home Stretch”
While the Kentucky Derby is still a way off, and the metaphor might be more appropriate in early May, the HHSO is coming into its “home stretch.” We have two Orchestra Series programs remaining, along with the Hilton Head International Piano Competition; our Spring Symphony Under The Stars; and four more Coastal Home Supper Clubs, a couple of Gullah Geechee Cultural Series programs, and an HHIPC recital, all at SoundWaves. There’s still a lot of music ahead in the coming two-plus months, and we hope you will take advantage of as many of these opportunities as you can.
One program I am looking forward to is the HHSO debut of guest conductor, Jeri Lynne Johnson, leading a concert of music by Michael Abels, the prolific composer of film scores and orchestral literature, plus Mendelssohn, and Vivaldi. Sphinx Competition winner and violinist Adé Williams will return to perform The Four Seasons to close the program. Longtime Orchestra Series patrons may remember Adé’s first appearance with the HHSO in February, 2013, when she performed the “Spring” concerto of The Four Seasons in a program that featured four different young artists from Sphinx, each performing a different season. Now, “all grown up,” Adé returns to play the complete work. Jeri Lynne Johnson has gained national and international attention through her ground-breaking Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, that she founded in Philadelphia. Recently, she was featured with Miami’s New World Symphony during their “I Dream A World” festival. Both of these guest artists bring a vision of what a 21st century orchestra experience can be.
At this time, there are only a few tables remaining for our April 1, 2025, Symphony Under The Stars concert at Lowcountry Celebration Park. Jay Dref, who regularly performs with Sarah Brightman, will make his HHSO debut in a program full of “POPera;” a wide range of repertoire from popular opera to Broadway. Make sure to plan ahead for our costume and table decoration contests! Free lawn seating is unlimited.
As we wind down the 2024-2025 concert season, we also want to thank the many donors who support the HHSO with their contributions. The number of individual contributors continues to grow—so much so, that we had to add an extra page in this year’s program to list them all. Individual support makes up the largest “slice” in our revenue “pie” (more than 27%) and, without it, the HHSO would not be able to provide the many live performances and educational outreach services in our communities. Please help us successfully make it to the finish line this season by making a tax-deductible donation to the HHSO. It’s just a click away.
The Lowcountry shares great weather, outdoor activities, and beautiful water and landscapes with other coastal regions, but so many people say they chose to live here because of the vibrant arts and culture on Hilton Head Island. This is a special place, and I invite you to enjoy the HHSO in the coming months.
—Alan Jordan, President and CEO
FROM THE PODIUM
Every season, I am inspired to program a work that speaks to the natural beauty of this island we call home. There is rarely a day, that I do not gaze out to the ocean, or look over the intricate lace of rivulets in the marsh, filled with a sense of wonderment. The changing weather, light, and seasons make this splendor nuanced and ever-changing—it is one of the things that makes this place so very special. We finish our season the last weekend of April with the audacious masterpiece, “La mer,” (the sea) by French composer Claude Debussy. It is a virtuosic showpiece, not unlike a “concerto for orchestra” that requires the utmost finesse on every instrument and from every player in the orchestra. It was not conceived as a “symphony” following the Germanic tradition of Haydn or Beethoven, but rather three distinct “sketches” for orchestra. Many describe Debussy’s music as “impressionistic,” similar to the artistic movement defined by the works of Monet and Renoir (among many others). In “La mer,” Debussy creates a musical tryptic, with each musical movement given a very specific story and mood, expressed by titles: “From dawn to noon on the sea,” “Play of the waves” and “Dialogue of the wind and sea.”
Debussy’s genius can be experienced on so many levels in this piece, but to me it’s his orchestration that knocks me out. Orchestration (or instrumentation) is the process by which composers choose what specific instruments intone specific musical lines. Debussy’s choices in his instrumentation tell so much of his musical story, and he uses a large “palette” of instruments to do so, including TWO harps, English horn, a full battery of percussion, an extra-large string ensemble along with full brass and woodwinds. Of course, he utilizes the tried and true technique of strings making crescendos and diminuendos highlighted by the splash of cymbals to sound like waves (which composers have used in one way or another for centuries), but what is truly brilliant is how he expresses things that have no “sonic” footprint. For example, the use of upper harmonics of the violins, harp, and orchestral bells to imitate the sparkles of light on the lightly rippling surface of water kissed by a light breeze, or the full brass choir of trumpets, horns, and trombones used to express the feeling we all have when face-to-face with the awesome power and majesty of the ocean—Debussy’s “La mer” is, at its core, an emotional soundscape.
For those of you who have not attended our pre-concert chats an hour before our performances, this would be a really good one to come to, as we drill down a little more on what makes Debussy’s “La mer” and his “Afternoon of a faun” (which begins the program) so extraordinary. If you know these masterworks, the chat will give you new insights into the brilliance of these works; if you are not familiar with them, it’s a great way to navigate and really enjoy your first experience.
See you there!
JMR
—John Morris Russell, Music Director
From the SoundWaves Studio
SoundWaves Diary Entry Excerpts – January, February, March…
Oh, my goodness. It seems that more and more people are hearing about me with each passing month. To start the year, I hosted a wonderful three-week residency by good friends and artistic partners at Lean Ensemble Theater, enjoyed a beautiful chamber music performance by the Laredo/Robinson/Polonsky trio, entertained a full house for January’s episode of the always-inspiring show-talk format Gullah Geechee Cultural Series, and accommodated audience demand for an extra performance of February’s Coastal Home Supper Club: Women of Rock.
My rafters are swelling with pride. I’ve made so many new friends. People who love many genres of music come to visit once and then return again and again. Sometimes the orchestra rehearses here. Maestro Russell has orchestra musicians ringing the building with overtones, and as of late the orchestra chorus has been singing glorious harmonies during evenings here, gearing up for its early March performances of Carmina Burana.
There’s all sorts of great food, too. Local caterers have peppered the room with savory aromas that last for days well after the music finishes, food that comes from my various neighbors here in Coligny Plaza as well as some vibrantly appetizing treats prepared by renowned Gullah Geechee chefs. There’s all sorts of good cheer when those beverages flow, too.
I’m so looking forward to more of these nighttime visits. My Gullah Geechee friends return in March and May to finish their season complementing Gospel music and jazz with fascinating stories of the community, and those supper club musicians are planning multiple performances again this Spring tributing artists Olivia Newton-John, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald, so I hear.
During the days, people come here to hold meetings in my conference room. There’s always much joy. I know this community appreciates my being here. The other day I overheard some talk about a golf tournament fundraiser next Fall and another discussion about a kitchen tour later this Spring. I’ve heard about piano recitals and youth string quartets, too. I’m so curious about these things. Really, I can’t wait.
Well, I should sign off now. I’ll write again soon. — SoundWaves
—Mario Incorvaia, HHSO Chief Operating Officer
From the Other End of the HALLWAY
The wall calendar next to my desk says “February 2025,” and whether or not your favorite groundhog saw his shadow, we know for sure that winter is winding to a close and spring is just around the corner. Before we look ahead to warmer days, I wanted to share some details about a great event that happened just after our big snowfall in late January!
I swapped my HHIPC Director’s hat once again for my HHSO Director of Education and Community Engagement hat in running the orchestra’s 17th annual Youth Concerto Competition. On Saturday, January 25, we presented nine talented teenage string players—hailing from six Southeastern states—at St. Luke’s Anglican Church. These remarkable finalists were selected from a pool of over 40 applicants (from nine states), and they competed here by playing one movement of a concerto or solo piece with orchestra (with all of them accompanied expertly by our wonderful YCC pianist Keru Zhang Fleetwood, who served as the “orchestra” for each young artist!). Our jury panel consisted of three HHSO members—Micah Gangwer (concertmaster), Lizhou Liu (principal viola), and Damian Kremer (cello)—and their job was most challenging, because the level of playing throughout the day was exceptionally high! At the end of the afternoon, I was delighted to award numerous cash prizes and scholarships (totaling over $9,000), with the big prize of a concerto engagement with the HHSO and Maestro JMR going to our first prize winner, 16-year-old violinist Brooklynn Thatcher, from Elgin, SC. This was Brooklynn’s second appearance as a YCC finalist, and she was this year’s only representative from our own state. Second prize was awarded to 17-year-old violinist Mana Takahashi (Tampa, FL) and third prize went to 18-year-old double bassist Michael Stratford (Winston-Salem, NC). We are most grateful to St. Luke’s Anglican Church (and Minister of Music, Nina Rodman) for welcoming us so warmly, and I was particularly pleased to see a sizable audience there (in spite of the snow!) to support these gifted young musicians. Plus, the entire event was livestreamed on the HHSO YouTube channel, and you can click here to see any/all of the nine performances. You can learn more about the event and the winners on our website here.
My HHIPC 2025 ‘Competition Preview’ appears earlier in this issue, so the only other HHIPC business for now is to mention two guest artists with ‘family ties’ returning in April…
On Friday, April 11, we present the final concert in this season’s BravoPiano! Recital Series, featuring Anna Han, our 2019 Third Prize winner who also won Second Prize at the 2023 Naumburg IPC in New York. Anna will showcase her keyboard virtuosity in music of Bach, Mozart, Debussy, Bartók, Liszt, and Schumann, among others, so please come experience world class artistry in a wonderfully intimate setting here at SoundWaves. Then, on April 27 and 28, the HHSO welcomes back internationally acclaimed Uruguayan pianist Enrique Graf, who served as a judge for us in 2006 and 2012. He will perform Mozart’s sublime Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major (K.453) with the orchestra and Maestro JMR on this season finale program (which also includes Debussy’s epic, La Mer). Tickets will be on sale soon for the April 11 recital, and you can buy tickets now for April 27/28.
Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you soon at the competition!
—Steven Shaiman, Director, Hilton Head International Piano Competition and Education and Community Engagement
From the BOARDROOM
Over the years, both in Michigan and South Carolina, I have been privileged to work with and learn from exceptional leaders. All have been highly gifted and totally committed to making significant and lasting contributions to their communities and the organizations they serve.
This year’s HHSO’s Board of Directors is a perfect example. Each person who serves on the board is totally committed to the HHSO and to its mission of inspiring, enriching and uniting the Low Country through music. All of these capable board members have had interesting and varied life experiences and successful careers, enabling them to provide innovative thinking, thoughtful advice and wise decisions. I am grateful for their individual passion and their collective wisdom.
There are two board members that deserve a special shout-out. Bret Jacobowitz is a tireless worker who serves on the Marketing and Resource Development committees. In addition, he was the Co-Chair of the League’s very successful fall fundraiser, Swing Fore The Symphony. Bret is forward-thinking, dedicated and ever positive – qualities that make him the consummate HHSO Ambassador.
Charles Sampson is a dedicated leader who can be counted on to quietly step forward when needed. He is currently Vice Chair of Strategic Planning. Charles also shares his expertise with other committees including Board Development and Resource Development. His love for the HHSO is most evident at Symphony Under The Stars, an event he enthusiastically shares with friends and co-workers. It is there in Celebration Park where he can often be heard singing along with the music or dancing in the aisles.
In April, these two special board members will join forces to entertain and feed the orchestra, the staff, and the board of the HHSO. Bret and his wife Laura will host one of Charles’ famous Pig Pulls, well known throughout the Low Country. The feast, prepared by Charles and his wife Frances and many of their friends, will be held on Saturday, April 26th between the orchestra’s afternoon and evening rehearsals for the final concert of the season. This special event is a wonderful opportunity for the Maestro and orchestra players to socialize and get to know board and staff members in an informal setting while enjoying a delicious dinner featuring pulled pork, collard greens, fried pickles, and other mouthwatering southern favorites. Kudos to Bret and Charles for arranging this special “happening.” I can’t think of a better way to end a spectacular season of music-making!
—Mary Princing, Chair, HHSO Board of Directors
Upcoming Events
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 7:30 pm
(Doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner served at 6:30 pm), SoundWaves, HHI
Gullah Geechee Cultural Series: Preach! Gospel Music in the Gullah Geechee Culture
Lavon Stevens, artistic advisor
Elders Group, Dr. Eric Crawford, director
The Lavon Stevens Band
Friday and Sunday, March 7 and 9, 2025, 7:30 pm
(Doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner served at 6:30 pm), SoundWaves, HHI
Coastal Home Supper Club – Olivia Newton-John: You’re The One That I Want
Gretchen Kristine Stelzer, vocalist
Nick Bushkar, vocals
Eric Jones, piano
Andrew Sovine, guitar
Jalen Reyes, drums
March 9, 2025, IS SOLD OUT!!! To be added to the waiting list, call (843) 842-2055.
Buy Tickets for March 7Sponsored by
Monday, March 10 – Monday, March 17, 2025, various times and locations
Hilton Head International Piano Competition
Sunday, March 30, 2025, 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Port Royal
The League of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra presents, “Kitchens of Note”
Presenting Sponsor is
Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 7:30 pm
Lowcountry Celebration Park, HHI
Symphony Under The Stars: Evening of Elegance with Jay Dref
John Morris Russell, conductor;
Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra;
Jay Dref, vocalist
Free lawn seating – bring a blanket or chair, a picnic, and enjoy the concert al fresco.
Buy Table Tickets
Sponsored by
Sunday, April 6, 2025, 4:00 pm
Monday, April 7, 2025, 7:30 pm
First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway, HHI
Orchestra Series, “Mendelssohn and Vivaldi”
Jeri Lynne Johnson, guest conductor
Adé Williams, Violin
Michael Abels More Seasons
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4, Op. 90, A Major, “Italian”
Antonio Vivaldi The Four Seasons
Pre-concert discussions will take place one hour prior to these concerts.
Buy Tickets
Friday, April 11, 2025, 7:30 pm
(Doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner served at 6:30 pm), SoundWaves, HHI
HHIPC BravoPiano! Recital Series: Anna Han
Watch for updates at hhipc.org and hhso.org. To make a reservation, call (843) 842-2055.
Sunday, April 13, 2025, 7:30 pm
(Doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner served at 6:30 pm), SoundWaves, HHI
Coastal Home Supper Club: Ella and Louie (program to be announced)
Huxsie Scott, vocals
Ken Trimmins, vocals and trumpet
Kenneth Mason, bass
Eric Jones, piano
Robert Britton Saunders, drums
Watch for updates at hhso.org. To make a reservation, call (843) 842-2055.
Sponsored by
Sunday, April 27, 2025, 4:00 pm
Monday, April 28, 2025, 7:30 pm
First Presbyterian Church, 540 William Hilton Parkway, HHI
Orchestra Series, “La Mer and Enrique Graf”
John Morris Russell, conductor
Enrique Graf, piano
Claude Debussy Prélude à “L’aprés-midi d’un faune” (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Fawn)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Piano Concerto No. 17, K. 453, G Major
Claude Debussy La Mer (The Sea)
Pre-concert discussions will take place one hour prior to these concerts.
Buy Tickets
Sponsored by
Sunday, May 4, 2025, 7:30 pm
(Doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner served at 6:30 pm), SoundWaves, HHI
Coastal Home Supper Club: (program to be announced)
Watch for updates at hhso.org. To make a reservation, call (843) 842-2055.
Sponsored by
Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 7:30 pm
(Doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner served at 6:30 pm), SoundWaves, HHI
Gullah Geechee Cultural Series: (program to be announced)
Lavon Stevens, artistic advisor
The Lavon Stevens Band
Watch for updates at hhso.org. To make a reservation, call (843) 842-2055.
Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra (HHSO) Racial Equality Statement
The HHSO affirms that all races are equal. We intentionally and systematically support HHSO policies and practices in our organization that promote opportunities for full advancement of African-Americans and other marginalized groups that have been denied equal access and opportunity. Our local situation gives good historical example of the possibility for transformative change. That example is Mitchelville, one of our Lowcountry’s treasures. It was a bold and brave experiment of 1861, before the Emancipation Proclamation, in whichformerly enslaved people were granted land and provisions to build homes and to establish a working town that was self-governing. The HHSO recognizes that self-governance and mastery depend on equal opportunity. So, we seize the current adverse racial situation as our opportunity to become a positive change agent that will actively pursue diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in all of our policies, programs, staff, committees, and Board.
The HHSO recognizes that racial inequity is systemic throughout our society. The HHSO therefore will examine its operations to address any racial inequality in our organization. We will work to eradicate any such adverse influence and to ensure that racial equality is integral to our mission and to implementation of our administrative and programming activities. We commit to all processes that will help us achieve our racial equity goal. We are committed to a racially inclusive approach in all that we do because we respect and value diverse racial heritages and know that hearing diverse voices will enrich what we have to offer.
Programs and Musicians: We shall schedule more performances of orchestral music by composers of color. We will be conscientious in recruitment, hiring, and advancement of musicians of color for all standard programs and competitions.
Staff: We will be deliberate in our effort to attract racially diverse staff in our recruitment and hiring activities and commit to providing equitable advancement opportunities for them.
Board of Directors: The HHSO Board pledges to seek increased representation of racially diverse directors and actively encourage opportunity for their Board leadership.
We respect diverse life experiences and work to ensure that all voices are heard and valued, and commit to creating a more comprehensive action plan that addresses diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for all marginalized groups.
Adopted August 12, 2020
2024-2025 Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors
Officers
Mary Princing
Chairman
Charles Sampson
Vice Chairman, Strategic Planning
Bob Cherichella
Vice Chairman, Resource Development
Arthur Handman
Treasurer
Carol Hack
Secretary
Alan Jordan
President and CEO
Members At Large
Rabbi Brad Bloom
Ingrid Boatright
Joan Dattelbaum
Wayne Effron
Jay Eliott
Gloria Holmes
Bret Jacobowitz
Blaine Lotz
Connie Rathman
Edward Simmons
Barbara Harris Sorkin
Blake White
Ex Officio
Terry Hicks (The League of the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra President)
Mario Incorvaia (Chief Operating Officer)
Steven Shaiman (Director, HHIPC and Education and Community Engagement)
Staff
John Morris Russell, Music Director
Alan Jordan, President and CEO, ajordan@hhso.org
Jason Economides, Orchestra Librarian
Ross Gerhardstein, Technical Director
Judy Gimbel, Hilton Head Chamber Music Institute Director
Rafe Goldman, Production Manager
Susan Hartmann, Development Associate, shartmann@hhso.org
Mario Incorvaia, Chief Operating Officer, mario.incorvaia@hhso.org
Gayle Lang, HHSO Chorus Manager, diva.gkl7@gmail.com
Steven Shaiman, Director, Hilton Head International Piano Competition and Education and Community Engagement, sshaiman@hhso.org
Susan Strange, Finance Manager, sstrange@hhso.org
Jim Way, Administrative Manager, jway@hhso.org
Julie Williams, Special Projects Manager, jwilliams@hhso.org