Posted April 25, 2022
DAYTON, OH (April 18, 2022) – On Friday, May 13, 2022 and Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 8:00 pm in the Mead Theatre of the Schuster Center, Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) present the final Masterworks concert of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance’s 2021‒2022 Season entitled Beethoven 9: Joy to the World.
This concert will be the Olive W. Kettering Memorial Concert for the 2021‒2022 DPAA Season.
The evening opens with a work by composer Stella Sung, who spent three years with the DPAA as the New Music USA’s Music Alive Composer-in-Residence from 2013‒2016. Sung’s Oceana is a multimedia tribute to life in the oceans—a soundscape alive with the calls of humpback whales, dolphins, and porpoises, but also frightening—showing humankind’s incursion on a fragile ecology.
Clara Schumann, an outstanding-but-overlooked composer of the Romantic Era, was also hailed as a virtuoso pianist. Her youthful Piano Concerto is making its DPO debut, performed by returning soloist Sara Davis Buechner. Noted for her musical command, cosmopolitan artistry, and visionary independence, Buechner is one of the most original concert pianists of our time. Lauded for her “intelligence, integrity and all-encompassing technical prowess” (New York Times), “thoughtful artistry in the full service of music” (Washington Post), and “astounding virtuosity” (Philippine Star), Japan’s InTune magazine sums up: “Buechner has no superior.”
Then, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus, under the direction of Hank Dahlman, bring the house down and close the evening and the Masterworks season with Beethoven’s masterful Symphony No. 9. The monumental Ninth embodies the ideals we associate with Beethoven, expressed majestically and powerfully and epitomized in Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” the text set in the final movement. It celebrates a world united in brotherhood and friendship, while the music’s euphoric harmonies enfold us in a sublime embrace.
The DPO and the DPO Chorus welcome four incredibly talented guest singers to the stage for this Beethoven masterwork. Soprano Caitlin Crabill, mezzo-soprano Kristen Choi, tenor Robert Stahley, and baritone Lester Lynch will deliver breathtaking solos in this performance.
This concert will be the final DPO concert with Hank Dahlman at the helm of the DPO Chorus, as he retires after 25 years as DPO Chorus Director.
“I’ve loved choral music and choral singing for as long as I can remember,” said DPO Artistic Director and Conductor Neal Gittleman. “It’s been an absolute joy to work with Hank and the Dayton Philharmonic Chorus on great choral masterworks from Monteverdi to Stravinsky and beyond. Hank gas brought so much inspiration and beauty to Dayton through his efforts with the Chorus and we—singers, players, and listeners—will all miss him in his retirement.”
During his tenure, Dahlman has served as a guest conductor with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, and he founded the Dayton Philharmonic Chamber Choir in 2000. Dahlman conducted the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus in performance with professional orchestras such as the Czech Chamber Philharmonic in Prague and at the Salzburg Cathedral celebrating Mozart’s 250th birthday in 2006. The DPAA thanks Dr. Dahlman for his leadership and vision, and the DPO is thrilled to be performing Beethoven’s Ninth as they bid a fond farewell to their friend and colleague.
Safety Protocols
The DPAA is excited to welcome audiences back to the 2021–2022 Season. The health and safety of patrons, performers, staff, and volunteers is our top priority. Beginning March 5, 2022, in partnership with DPAA’s venue partner Dayton Live and in accordance with the CDC’s new guidelines, the following new health and safety protocols will be in place at all performances and events:
- Vaccination and Testing – Proof of vaccination or COVID-19 testing will no longer be required to attend performances at Dayton Live venues, including the Schuster Center and the Victoria Theatre.
- Masks – Masks will no longer be required while attending a DPAA performance or event. The DPAA welcomes patrons to wear masks at any performance if they so choose.
Tickets for Beethoven 9: Joy to the World start at $5 and are available at the box office by calling (937) 228-3630 or online at www.daytonperformingarts.org. The $5 Tickets are sponsored by AES Ohio as part of DPAA’s “The Arts Are for Everyone” program. Senior, teacher and student discounts are available at the box office. For more information or to order subscriptions, including flexible subscription types that include performances by Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet, visit www.daytonperformingarts.org.
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About the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance
The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) was formed in July 2012 as the result of a groundbreaking and innovative merger between the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Together, they are the largest performing arts organization in the greater Dayton community, with a mission to be the community’s indispensable source for traditional, diverse and innovative experiences in ballet, opera, and orchestral music. The vision of the DPAA is to transform lives through the power of music and dance. The DPAA offers a wide variety of performance and education programs, setting a new standard for artistic excellence. DPAA performances reach an audience of more than 90,000 people annually, and their rich arts education programming serves over 60,000 schoolchildren in 150 schools in the Miami Valley. These performances and education initiatives are made possible in part through major support provided by the Ohio Arts Council, Culture Works, the City of Dayton, Montgomery County and the National Endowment for the Arts.