Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO) is thrilled to present the Chicago premiere of Vivian Fung’s trumpet concerto performed by Joliet-native and CYSO alum Mary Elizabeth Bowden at CYSO’s Fall Concert at Orchestra Hall (220 South Michigan Ave) Sunday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. Bowden is the recipient of the CYSO 2021 Alumni Award, which will be presented during the concert. The concert will also feature CYSO’s Bianca Ciubancan performing Paganini’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major and Louis Auxenfans performing Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A Major.
11/14/CYSO Symphony Orchestra led by Music Director Allen Tinkham - Photo credit Ed Spinelli
Vivian Fung is a JUNO Award-winning Canadian composer. Her Concerto for Trumpet is a virtuosic, tour de force work that stretches the imagination of what’s possible on the E flat, flugelhorn, and piccolo trumpets. Written for Mary Elizabeth Bowden, the concerto was inspired by a conversation about Bowden’s journey in her solo career and as a woman in a male-dominated field.
“Ideas of striving, overcoming challenges, frustration, passion and ultimately joy and celebration are all explored in this piece,” says Fung. “Mary’s journey was a true inspiration in writing this piece, and I am thrilled for the piece to debut in Chicago at CYSO.”
Co-commissioned by CYSO along with a consortium of other orchestras including Erie Philharmonic, which hosted the world premiere performance in January 2020, along with San José Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, San Diego State University’s School of Music & Dance, Shenandoah Conservatory and Waynesboro Symphony, the piece was the first concerto written by a North American female composer for a female trumpet soloist. It was also awarded a New Music USA grant.
Conducted by CYSO Music Director Allen Tinkham and assisted by Steven Gooden, the program will also include:
- Samuel Barber’s Second Essay
- Leonard Bernstein’s Overture to West Side Story and
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor, op.36.
“It’s such an honor to have our alum Mary Elizabeth Bowden back on our stage,” says conductor Allen Tinkham. “This is an outstanding program that we can’t wait to show you. But it is particularly gratifying to bring a new work to the orchestral stage, particularly one written by such a gifted composer, who also happens to be female. We hope this work will quickly be accepted as part of the classical music repertoire.”
Tickets for general admission floor and upper balcony will be $20, lower balcony $40-$50 and boxes $60 and can be purchased at http://cyso.org/tickets.
About Mary Elizabeth Bowden
Mary Elizabeth Bowden has built a rapidly ascendent career as a soloist, praised for her “splendid, brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine) and the clarity, purity and power of her sound. The Opus Klassik Nominee and Yamaha Performing Artist has also worked to establish new repertoire for the trumpet through creative, collaborative commissioning projects and award-winning albums. This November, she will record the concerto written for her by Juno Award-winner Fung with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. The recording will also feature works by Reena Esmail, Tyson Davis, Sarah Kirkland Snider and Clarice Assad.
Her upcoming season includes more performances of the Fung concerto with the Santa Fe Symphony and Shenandoah Conservatory Orchestra. Bowden is slated to perform Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s “American Concerto” with the Las Vegas Philharmonic in 2022. She will also make her Turkish debut performing Lowell Lieberman’s concerto with the Izmir State Symphonic Orchestra. Mary Elizabeth Bowden is the founder of brass ensemble Seraph Brass, with whom she will make several appearances in 2021/22.
About Vivian Fung
JUNO Award-winning composer Vivian Fung combines idiosyncratic textures and styles into large-scale works, reflecting her multicultural background. She has recently completed a new flute concerto for the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and is at work on new pieces for the L’arc Trio, Tangram Collective, Lafayette String Quartet, percussionist Katie Rife, and trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden, as well as a new opera with librettist Royce Vavrek for Edmonton Opera’s The Wild Rose Opera Project. In July 2020, the CBC Virtual Orchestra gave the online world premiere of Fung’s Prayer, led by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Fung mentors composers at the American Composers Forum, San Francisco Contemporary Chamber Players, London Symphony Orchestra, and Cabrillo Festival. Born in Canada, she received her doctorate from The Juilliard School. Fung lives in California and is on the faculty of Santa Clara University.
About Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras’ mission is to inspire and cultivate personal excellence through music. After 75 years of music-making, CYSO continues to shape generations of young leaders and musicians. Students collaborate and create in a learning environment like no other, developing fundamental skills including leadership, self-confidence, teamwork, and resilience. CYSO is committed to educating, encouraging, and empowering each young musicians so that they may pursue personal excellence both on and off the stage.
CYSO works with young musicians ages 6-18 in on-site and school-based ensembles, and offers community programming reached audiences of all ages across the Chicago region. Ensembles include symphony orchestras, string orchestras, steelpan, jazz band, chamber music, and music composition programs. CYSO invests in our community through CYSO@CPS school-based ensembles and free concerts that reach more than 10,000 young people annually.
CYSO promotes and provides ensemble-focused programming out of a belief in the power of community. A young musician’s time at CYSO is a pathway of opportunity and growth, but they do not walk it alone. By bringing together young people from across the region, CYSO students build bonds with those who come from different backgrounds and share a passion for music. They develop the skills necessary to thrive as an ensemble. Whether or not a student continues music studies after their time in CYSO, young people leave with increased self-confidence, a strong sense of discipline, and a deep appreciation for music and the arts. Find out more at www.cyso.org.