October 20, 2023 • 22 mins
Lift the curtain and catch a glimpse into the harmonious world of the Newark Symphony Orchestra. Our guest, Simeone Tartaglione, the orchestra's esteemed music director, offers an enchanting narrative of how the orchestra has woven its magic into the fabric of the local community. Simeone talks about everything from the orchestra's collaborations with local art organizations to their annual youth concerto competition for nurturing budding talent. He also shares heartwarming anecdotes of their holiday concerts that create a bridge of unity among various churches in the region.
We also strike a chord on the orchestra's endeavours to make music accessible to all, including instrument donations and hosting concerts in local parks. Simeone passionately discusses the transformative power of orchestral music, its universal appeal, and the range of emotions it can stir within us. This episode is a symphony of thoughts on the enduring significance of orchestral music, irrespective of whether you're a classical music connoisseur or a beginner. Tune in, and let the music play!
The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is committed to supporting the arts and cultivating creativity to enhance the quality of life in Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Learn more at Arts.Delaware.Gov.
Delaware State of the Arts is a weekly podcast that presents interviews with arts organizations and leaders who contribute to the cultural vibrancy of communities throughout Delaware. Delaware State of the Arts is provided as a service of the Division of the Arts, in partnership with NEWSRADIO 1450 WILM and 1410 WDOV.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Andy Truscott (00:09):
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guest today is SimeoneTartaglione, the music director
of the Newark Symphony Orchestraand a faculty member of the
Music School of Delaware.
The Newark Symphony Orchestrahas performed as a community
orchestra in Newark, delaware,since its founding in 1966.
(00:29):
The orchestra currentlyincludes about 80 performing
musicians of all backgrounds whoshare a love of classical music
.
The Newark Symphony supportsmusic education and outreach in
Northern Delaware and for morethan 40 years has held an annual
youth concerto competition.
The winners in both college andhigh school age divisions each
(00:51):
perform with the orchestra at aspring concert.
Simeone, thank you so much forjoining me today and, as we kick
off, talk to me a little bitabout the history of the Newark
Symphony Orchestra and how it isthat you got involved.
Simeone Tartaglione (01:05):
Hello Andy, hello everybody.
It's such a joy to work withthe Newark Symphony, really, in
many ways maybe the job I'mattached the most, because it
was actually my very first job.
I got over here in the EastCoast right after I graduated
from Peabody.
I applied and I got this thingand it was such a joy.
(01:28):
What I think struck me the mostabout this orchestra is that
rarely you find the love ofmusic to be so tangible.
We rehearse every week and, asyou said, there are musicians of
all different parts of life.
Some are professional musicianswe pay, but a lot of them are
volunteers.
(01:48):
So musicians who have a collegedegree, who ended up either
being music teachers or dosomething else that's not
related to music, that theyfinish their hard day at work
they rush at their home to eatsomething and they run to
rehearsal to get tortured by meabout playing better and do
faster or whatever it is, andthey do it with a smile.
(02:10):
So this is something that is soinspiring.
To me is really quintessentialof what music is about.
We are all amateurs because welove music, and to love so much
that after a full day of workyou just engage in like two hour
and a half three hoursrehearsal to work hard in
(02:33):
something until you go home andyou go to bed and you start
again next day.
It's just remarkable and for meit's an inspiration.
I feel Newark Symphony reallyremind me why I want to be a
musician every time I do arehearsal with them.
Andy Truscott (02:50):
Talk to me about the musical identity of the
Newark Symphony Orchestra andwhat kinds of music or styles
audience members can typicallyexpect should they attend a
concert by the orchestra.
Simeone Tartaglione (03:02):
Mostly we really do the greatest hits of
the classical repertoire.
We also do premieres of newpiece sometimes and we do some
choral music with a certainregularity.
We have in the plans to do theCarmina Burana by Horf in a few
months, not this season but thenext.
(03:22):
We're going to do that withPaul Heads of the University of
Delaware Choral and we dobasically two different
orchestra settings.
One is the full symphony.
That is usually our Sundayconcerts where we play all the
big Beethoven, brahms in thiscase, the next concert,
(03:44):
prokofiev, rachmaninoff, all thebig stuff with the larger
orchestra.
But we have a season of usuallytwo, three concerts where we do
more chamber music, and chambermusic also for orchestra.
So we may do string pieces justfor string orchestra, or smaller
Mozart, haydn symphonies orstraight, you know, like the
(04:07):
trout quintet, or pieces thatare more chamber music, where
our principal get together andthey do something like that.
We also have a children concert, a family concert, every year
that we target a certain kind ofaudience, of course, in that
particular situation, eitherschool children.
(04:28):
So we may do, like this year,tabi de Tubbo with the Leipzig,
prokofiev, peter and the Wolfand all similar stuff, or we do
a little more family concertstyle.
So we do music from movies orlike cartoons, that kind of
stuff.
That is a little light, and wealso did some of this outside in
the park and so we had a lot ofresponse in that aspect too,
(04:51):
because people bring theirchairs, they do a little picnic
and we fill the loans whereverwe are.
Andy Truscott (04:57):
You've been with the orchestra since 2010.
Talk to us about how you feellike the orchestra has grown or
evolved during that time.
Simeone Tartaglione (05:06):
My goal from the very beginning was to
make sure the orchestra was anintegral part of the community.
So my strategy was really totry to connect, intersect as
many art organizations andorganizations in general in the
community as possible, because Idon't believe if an orchestra
(05:28):
just does you know, strauss,bruckner, whatever you want to
do you know the audience is notgoing to come just for that.
Unless you are a Philadelphiaorchestra or you are a New York
Philharmonic, an orchestra ofany orchestra who is not in that
category.
Actually it needs to connectwith their audience in a way
that they need to feel theybelong.
(05:48):
It's not some ivory tower wherepeople do their stuff and then
you don't understand, you feelintimidated, maybe that, oh, I
don't have enough culturalclassical music, maybe I get
bored if I go.
So that concept really wassomething that I didn't believe
from the start, and not justwith Norse info.
That's a concept of the old,traditional way of considering
(06:11):
an orchestra.
So what I tried to do was everyconcert we had some, you know,
specific connection that couldbe.
For example, I remember oneyear we did a piece with four
high school choirs they, it wasthe Rutter Gloria, you know,
some people may know that pieceand we had these four high
(06:33):
schools prepared, the choirprepared the piece and then, you
know, I did some extrarehearsal with them, you know,
before, and then we put all themtogether and they performed
with a full symphony orchestra,something that not always is
possible in every high school.
Another event that really wassuper successful in bringing us
to the community was ourChristmas concert a holiday
(06:57):
concert, I should say, where wedo music of all kinds, of all
backgrounds, but what we did wasto invite selected members from
all the churches of the area tocome and become a choir just
for that concert.
So we ended up with 250 maybemembers in the choir singing, of
(07:20):
course, pieces that everybodycould sing.
We didn't do very directly withthem with the car rolls and
things like that, but they lovedit.
They prepared well, their musicdirector prepared well at the
churches and then they all puttogether in a rehearsal before
the orchestra, and then it was agreat success from that point
(07:42):
of view as well.
We also did several projectswith the dance company in the
area, like with the Peter andthe Wolf, with the Delaware
Dance Company, and we did alsothe Carnival of the Animals, so
that it was always the goal is awin-win, so that we reach out
to more people in the community.
(08:02):
But people in the communityorganization in the community,
they can experience somethingthat they cannot do very often,
that is, a full orchestra.
For example, even we did acouple of pieces with the Bell
Squire and now we have actuallyone in December coming up where
two Bell Squires are joining us.
They do a piece by themselvesand then they do a piece for
(08:25):
Bell Squire and orchestra.
That is something, again, youcannot do every year.
So it's a win-win and a joy toshare different sides of making
art with people around.
Another one was when we didChurch Windows by Respeakey and
we invited several schools to doprojects, so to make the
(08:51):
windows on their own somehow.
So it was an art productionthat then we exposed at the
concerts and it was great.
They had a lot of peoplewatching their productions and
so on.
We have many, but that was mygoal and I think that made a
difference in the relationshipof the orchestra to the
(09:13):
community.
It's not just a few people whoenjoy their evening once in a
while, but it's an orchestrathat is right there for
everybody and we are open totheir ideas too.
Sometimes they know I'm open tocraziness, so they say how
about we do that?
And then usually I say okay,let's make it happen.
I think we can do somethingthat is meaningful and artistic,
(09:35):
valid, and it is a little bitunconventional, but let's do it.
Andy Truscott (09:39):
How do you and the orchestra engage with local
communities and encourage musiceducation and appreciation from
the very young to the very old?
Simeone Tartaglione (09:50):
We have several programs that I think
help in that direction.
One is, of course theyconchance the competition and
you know we have a longtradition and a lot of the
winners really went up intotheir game.
So every year we have thiscompetition for high schoolers
and college and they playusually a full concerto with the
(10:13):
orchestra and believe me, wehad amazing talent really.
The concerto competition isalso targeting Delaware and its
vicinity very, you know, closely.
So in other words, it outlimits itself.
So people you know from Peabodyor from Philadelphia, usually
(10:35):
they are not able to applyunless, you know, depends where
they live.
There is all kinds oflimitations.
But in other words, we want toget to make an event and an
opportunity for the NewarkCenter and Delaware Center
community so that the studentsin our area get an opportunity
and that's why we are targetingthem and not necessarily spread
(10:59):
out around.
So that's one aspect that I'mvery proud of because really we
engage with extraordinarymusicians, young musicians.
But other ways that we do is,of course, our children.
Concerts always are a way toexplain aspect of music that not
always can be done in theirschools.
(11:19):
I remember once we did I thinkit was Peter and the Wolf, but
at the end I did a short masterclass about conducting and we
were doing an online clientwhere I explained a few things
about balance and notes.
But then I called the kids onstage and said who want to try?
And we had a line like I don'tknow, maybe 50 kids.
It was a problem.
(11:39):
I expect to have like maybefive or six.
But after the first five or sixtried and they liked it, they
smiled.
Then they become like almost aproblem because we have a line
of kids who want to do it.
That was great.
So they got first handsomething that may change their
life.
I won't be surprised if somekid after that experience would
(12:00):
think you know it was fun to bea conductor.
Maybe I want to think aboutdoing that as a as I grew up.
Another program that one of ourmember designed Laura Rogers in
this case is called theinstrument in the attics.
That is a spectacular programwhere people donate instruments
to us.
We put them together, reform,you know, repair what they need,
(12:25):
and then we donate to kids whohave a need, who cannot afford
an instrument, and we donatedreally hundreds of instruments.
We donated ones, a set, I think, of 20 or 30, I don't remember
to an organization that helpsorphans.
So they got really a bunch of alot of instruments and we
(12:47):
shipped I think was overseasthat one but usually we have
this instrument donated at theconcert, either to the school,
to the teacher or to the, to thestudents themselves if they ask
, and we had really a greatportion.
We also had some member of theorchestra who donated to the
orchestra their violins.
Some of these violins arereally remarkable value and we
(13:11):
also have some high schoolers,for example, play these violins
with us and enjoy the violinsfor their own studies until they
graduate.
So there is also there a kindof, you know, the joy of
experience music with us, butalso the benefit of getting a
phenomenal violin donated bysome members of the orchestra
(13:32):
who retired or who died.
Andy Truscott (13:34):
Talk to me about the upcoming performances the
orchestra will be hosting thisyear and maybe which one or two
are your favorite.
Simeone Tartaglione (13:42):
Oh, all of them.
It's like children, you know.
They're all wonderful, each oneof them.
We opened the season on October22nd at 8pm.
That is something a little bitunusual for us.
We had a concert a littleearlier, but our soloist is a
(14:04):
legend.
Somebody who you really don'twant to miss is the Jennifer
Montone, who is the principalhorn of the Philadelphia
Orchestra and actually even thesame day she's doing another
concerto that's why we are alittle later than usual and
she's playing for us anotherlegendary piece for horn.
That is the second Straussconcerto for horn and orchestra
(14:28):
and that's it really is afantastic event for us.
We could not have any major anybetter opening of our season
and we are thankful for a largedonation that made this possible
.
And that's one of the beautyand benefit of New Art Symphony
the love around of music andmusicians is so that we get help
(14:53):
from a lot of members in waysthat are just remarkable.
In the same program, besides,there's a phonabolic horn
concerto, probably the top ofthe top of the all the horn solo
stuff.
We do an overture by Wagner,the Rienzi that is an early
Wagner, so somehow there is someRossini echo or some kind of
(15:18):
Verdi echo there.
So it's not the Wagner, we know, but it is a very joyful
overture in many ways and veryapproachable.
So it's a.
It's one of my favorites insome ways and I know that the
orchestra loves to play toobecause it has some direct
impact, like not a lot of othersyou know, of its production.
(15:42):
And then we in the second halfhave a selection of the three
suites by Prokofiev the Romeoand Juliet ballet, and that's
another super favorite piece.
What I tried to do in myselection, I tried to select
from the three suites in a waythat we have a little bit of all
(16:02):
the story.
So it's a combination thatbasically doesn't exist in its
own but is a selection that endswith the end of the story and
in the middle there is about themost important moments of the
of the Romeo and Juliet ballet.
(16:24):
The next concert in December iswe call the Holiday Spectacular
and is a great combination ofsoloists, of choirs, bells,
choirs, orchestra favoriteNutcracker, of course, and the
Hanukkah overture by Rick oneand, you know, some handle from
(16:46):
Messiah.
So there's just abouteverything that is connected to
a holiday, wonderful time Inspring.
We do in March the springsymphony by Schumann.
I think was appropriate fortime and spirit there.
And we are gonna have in theMarch concert our Concerto
Competition winner.
We don't know what, of course,the competition is in November.
(17:09):
So, by the way, if you want toapply for the competition, reach
out to us, there is still timeto apply.
And in May, our last symphonyconcert.
We have the Rachmaninoff SecondSymphony, which is one of the
favorite, plus a ConcertoCompetition winner as well, and
then we will decide if we put anoverture or not in the concert.
(17:31):
We don't know yet.
It depends.
If somebody wins with somethingshort, we put an overture, but
if somebody wins withTchaikovsky Violin Concerto,
then probably we won't recommendit long enough.
Our chamber series, professorChris Nichols from University of
Delaware playing the MozartClarinet Concerto, and we are
gonna do their Mozart Symphonynumber 25.
(17:54):
Then in February we are gonnahave our newer symphony choir,
because among the many thingsthat Newark does, we also have a
choir, the newer symphony choir, and they are gonna sing with
us.
Of course, in December withother choirs.
We have several choirs inDecember from several high
schools and then we are gonna doa piece for Choir and Orchestra
(18:20):
, the record from the leaving,and we're gonna have a Marianne
Mayer as a harp soloist with theDucie Dances.
And the last thing to mentionis the children concert that
this time is gonna be Tabi deTuba, with Brian Cox from
Salisiano being our soloist, whothen will perform at the Newark
(18:43):
Charter School.
Andy Truscott (18:44):
In your view, what is the enduring power and
relevance of orchestral music?
Simeone Tartaglione (18:49):
There is a misconception that to enjoy
classical music you need to havesome kind of training, or that
to enjoy an orchestra concertyou need to know more about
orchestral or classical music.
And it's a misconceptionbecause there is really no need.
I always remember mygrandmother expedience, my
(19:14):
grandmother, in Italy.
She was not able to write orread, so she was completely
illiterate.
Still, she went to the opera tosee the opera, the concert
every week that was their.
Instead of go to the movies,they went to the opera and to
the theater to do concerts.
And she understood that shedidn't need to read the plot or
(19:36):
read books to get the feelingsfrom the orchestra, from the
singers, from the conductor.
And when I listened to thatexperience, I have the proof
that and I had the proof in manyof my experience.
When I bring an orchestra to acommunity that never had one, as
long you approach and youcommunicate with the audience,
(19:58):
you explain, maybe from thestage, a little bit what's
happening and you play thinkingthe feelings that are behind the
notes, because you can do themost polished performance, but
if you really don't give amessage, you are not convinced
that there is a message offeelings, of humanity from the
(20:19):
score to the audience, then it'sa boring, deadly performance.
But a lot of concerts I've done,for example in the park, with
people coming from all over.
At the end of the concert I hadpeople coming.
You know it's my very firstconcert I ever attended of an
orchestra.
I didn't think I could like somuch.
I may go back and come back tosee you.
(20:40):
So in this aspect I think Newarkis very important in our
mission because we try to reachout to all segments of the
communities and especially whenI think there is an area that
could be not as close to us, themore I want to reach to them
and connect and let themunderstand and let them feel and
(21:02):
experience how an orchestraconcert is just as effective as
a pop concert.
Beethoven was pop music in someways.
You know there were fights inItaly between different operatic
composers, like there were popstars, so nothing really changed
the difference.
Maybe that of course a piece inclassical music lasts a little
(21:24):
more than three minutes.
But there is so much variety,so much things inside a movement
of a symphony that as long asyou open your heart you're going
to get it, and so the feelingof not belonging it really
doesn't apply to classical music.
Andy Truscott (21:44):
To me, Oney, thank you so much for joining me
today.
To learn more about the NewarkSymphony Orchestra, visit their
website at NewarkSymphonyorg.
For Delaware State of the Arts.
I'm Andy Truscott.
My guest today is SimeoneTartaglione, the music director
of the Newark Symphony Orchestraand a faculty member of the
Music School of Delaware.
The Newark Symphony Orchestrahas performed as a community
orchestra in Newark, delaware,since its founding in 1966.
(00:29):
The orchestra currentlyincludes about 80 performing
musicians of all backgrounds whoshare a love of classical music
.
The Newark Symphony supportsmusic education and outreach in
Northern Delaware and for morethan 40 years has held an annual
youth concerto competition.
The winners in both college andhigh school age divisions each
(00:51):
perform with the orchestra at aspring concert.
Simeone, thank you so much forjoining me today and, as we kick
off, talk to me a little bitabout the history of the Newark
Symphony Orchestra and how it isthat you got involved.
Simeone Tartaglione (01:05):
Hello Andy, hello everybody.
It's such a joy to work withthe Newark Symphony, really, in
many ways maybe the job I'mattached the most, because it
was actually my very first job.
I got over here in the EastCoast right after I graduated
from Peabody.
I applied and I got this thingand it was such a joy.
(01:28):
What I think struck me the mostabout this orchestra is that
rarely you find the love ofmusic to be so tangible.
We rehearse every week and, asyou said, there are musicians of
all different parts of life.
Some are professional musicianswe pay, but a lot of them are
volunteers.
(01:48):
So musicians who have a collegedegree, who ended up either
being music teachers or dosomething else that's not
related to music, that theyfinish their hard day at work
they rush at their home to eatsomething and they run to
rehearsal to get tortured by meabout playing better and do
faster or whatever it is, andthey do it with a smile.
(02:10):
So this is something that is soinspiring.
To me is really quintessentialof what music is about.
We are all amateurs because welove music, and to love so much
that after a full day of workyou just engage in like two hour
and a half three hoursrehearsal to work hard in
(02:33):
something until you go home andyou go to bed and you start
again next day.
It's just remarkable and for meit's an inspiration.
I feel Newark Symphony reallyremind me why I want to be a
musician every time I do arehearsal with them.
Andy Truscott (02:50):
Talk to me about the musical identity of the
Newark Symphony Orchestra andwhat kinds of music or styles
audience members can typicallyexpect should they attend a
concert by the orchestra.
Simeone Tartaglione (03:02):
Mostly we really do the greatest hits of
the classical repertoire.
We also do premieres of newpiece sometimes and we do some
choral music with a certainregularity.
We have in the plans to do theCarmina Burana by Horf in a few
months, not this season but thenext.
(03:22):
We're going to do that withPaul Heads of the University of
Delaware Choral and we dobasically two different
orchestra settings.
One is the full symphony.
That is usually our Sundayconcerts where we play all the
big Beethoven, brahms in thiscase, the next concert,
(03:44):
prokofiev, rachmaninoff, all thebig stuff with the larger
orchestra.
But we have a season of usuallytwo, three concerts where we do
more chamber music, and chambermusic also for orchestra.
So we may do string pieces justfor string orchestra, or smaller
Mozart, haydn symphonies orstraight, you know, like the
(04:07):
trout quintet, or pieces thatare more chamber music, where
our principal get together andthey do something like that.
We also have a children concert, a family concert, every year
that we target a certain kind ofaudience, of course, in that
particular situation, eitherschool children.
(04:28):
So we may do, like this year,tabi de Tubbo with the Leipzig,
prokofiev, peter and the Wolfand all similar stuff, or we do
a little more family concertstyle.
So we do music from movies orlike cartoons, that kind of
stuff.
That is a little light, and wealso did some of this outside in
the park and so we had a lot ofresponse in that aspect too,
(04:51):
because people bring theirchairs, they do a little picnic
and we fill the loans whereverwe are.
Andy Truscott (04:57):
You've been with the orchestra since 2010.
Talk to us about how you feellike the orchestra has grown or
evolved during that time.
Simeone Tartaglione (05:06):
My goal from the very beginning was to
make sure the orchestra was anintegral part of the community.
So my strategy was really totry to connect, intersect as
many art organizations andorganizations in general in the
community as possible, because Idon't believe if an orchestra
(05:28):
just does you know, strauss,bruckner, whatever you want to
do you know the audience is notgoing to come just for that.
Unless you are a Philadelphiaorchestra or you are a New York
Philharmonic, an orchestra ofany orchestra who is not in that
category.
Actually it needs to connectwith their audience in a way
that they need to feel theybelong.
(05:48):
It's not some ivory tower wherepeople do their stuff and then
you don't understand, you feelintimidated, maybe that, oh, I
don't have enough culturalclassical music, maybe I get
bored if I go.
So that concept really wassomething that I didn't believe
from the start, and not justwith Norse info.
That's a concept of the old,traditional way of considering
(06:11):
an orchestra.
So what I tried to do was everyconcert we had some, you know,
specific connection that couldbe.
For example, I remember oneyear we did a piece with four
high school choirs they, it wasthe Rutter Gloria, you know,
some people may know that pieceand we had these four high
(06:33):
schools prepared, the choirprepared the piece and then, you
know, I did some extrarehearsal with them, you know,
before, and then we put all themtogether and they performed
with a full symphony orchestra,something that not always is
possible in every high school.
Another event that really wassuper successful in bringing us
to the community was ourChristmas concert a holiday
(06:57):
concert, I should say, where wedo music of all kinds, of all
backgrounds, but what we did wasto invite selected members from
all the churches of the area tocome and become a choir just
for that concert.
So we ended up with 250 maybemembers in the choir singing, of
(07:20):
course, pieces that everybodycould sing.
We didn't do very directly withthem with the car rolls and
things like that, but they lovedit.
They prepared well, their musicdirector prepared well at the
churches and then they all puttogether in a rehearsal before
the orchestra, and then it was agreat success from that point
(07:42):
of view as well.
We also did several projectswith the dance company in the
area, like with the Peter andthe Wolf, with the Delaware
Dance Company, and we did alsothe Carnival of the Animals, so
that it was always the goal is awin-win, so that we reach out
to more people in the community.
(08:02):
But people in the communityorganization in the community,
they can experience somethingthat they cannot do very often,
that is, a full orchestra.
For example, even we did acouple of pieces with the Bell
Squire and now we have actuallyone in December coming up where
two Bell Squires are joining us.
They do a piece by themselvesand then they do a piece for
(08:25):
Bell Squire and orchestra.
That is something, again, youcannot do every year.
So it's a win-win and a joy toshare different sides of making
art with people around.
Another one was when we didChurch Windows by Respeakey and
we invited several schools to doprojects, so to make the
(08:51):
windows on their own somehow.
So it was an art productionthat then we exposed at the
concerts and it was great.
They had a lot of peoplewatching their productions and
so on.
We have many, but that was mygoal and I think that made a
difference in the relationshipof the orchestra to the
(09:13):
community.
It's not just a few people whoenjoy their evening once in a
while, but it's an orchestrathat is right there for
everybody and we are open totheir ideas too.
Sometimes they know I'm open tocraziness, so they say how
about we do that?
And then usually I say okay,let's make it happen.
I think we can do somethingthat is meaningful and artistic,
(09:35):
valid, and it is a little bitunconventional, but let's do it.
Andy Truscott (09:39):
How do you and the orchestra engage with local
communities and encourage musiceducation and appreciation from
the very young to the very old?
Simeone Tartaglione (09:50):
We have several programs that I think
help in that direction.
One is, of course theyconchance the competition and
you know we have a longtradition and a lot of the
winners really went up intotheir game.
So every year we have thiscompetition for high schoolers
and college and they playusually a full concerto with the
(10:13):
orchestra and believe me, wehad amazing talent really.
The concerto competition isalso targeting Delaware and its
vicinity very, you know, closely.
So in other words, it outlimits itself.
So people you know from Peabodyor from Philadelphia, usually
(10:35):
they are not able to applyunless, you know, depends where
they live.
There is all kinds oflimitations.
But in other words, we want toget to make an event and an
opportunity for the NewarkCenter and Delaware Center
community so that the studentsin our area get an opportunity
and that's why we are targetingthem and not necessarily spread
(10:59):
out around.
So that's one aspect that I'mvery proud of because really we
engage with extraordinarymusicians, young musicians.
But other ways that we do is,of course, our children.
Concerts always are a way toexplain aspect of music that not
always can be done in theirschools.
(11:19):
I remember once we did I thinkit was Peter and the Wolf, but
at the end I did a short masterclass about conducting and we
were doing an online clientwhere I explained a few things
about balance and notes.
But then I called the kids onstage and said who want to try?
And we had a line like I don'tknow, maybe 50 kids.
It was a problem.
(11:39):
I expect to have like maybefive or six.
But after the first five or sixtried and they liked it, they
smiled.
Then they become like almost aproblem because we have a line
of kids who want to do it.
That was great.
So they got first handsomething that may change their
life.
I won't be surprised if somekid after that experience would
(12:00):
think you know it was fun to bea conductor.
Maybe I want to think aboutdoing that as a as I grew up.
Another program that one of ourmember designed Laura Rogers in
this case is called theinstrument in the attics.
That is a spectacular programwhere people donate instruments
to us.
We put them together, reform,you know, repair what they need,
(12:25):
and then we donate to kids whohave a need, who cannot afford
an instrument, and we donatedreally hundreds of instruments.
We donated ones, a set, I think, of 20 or 30, I don't remember
to an organization that helpsorphans.
So they got really a bunch of alot of instruments and we
(12:47):
shipped I think was overseasthat one but usually we have
this instrument donated at theconcert, either to the school,
to the teacher or to the, to thestudents themselves if they ask
, and we had really a greatportion.
We also had some member of theorchestra who donated to the
orchestra their violins.
Some of these violins arereally remarkable value and we
(13:11):
also have some high schoolers,for example, play these violins
with us and enjoy the violinsfor their own studies until they
graduate.
So there is also there a kindof, you know, the joy of
experience music with us, butalso the benefit of getting a
phenomenal violin donated bysome members of the orchestra
(13:32):
who retired or who died.
Andy Truscott (13:34):
Talk to me about the upcoming performances the
orchestra will be hosting thisyear and maybe which one or two
are your favorite.
Simeone Tartaglione (13:42):
Oh, all of them.
It's like children, you know.
They're all wonderful, each oneof them.
We opened the season on October22nd at 8pm.
That is something a little bitunusual for us.
We had a concert a littleearlier, but our soloist is a
(14:04):
legend.
Somebody who you really don'twant to miss is the Jennifer
Montone, who is the principalhorn of the Philadelphia
Orchestra and actually even thesame day she's doing another
concerto that's why we are alittle later than usual and
she's playing for us anotherlegendary piece for horn.
That is the second Straussconcerto for horn and orchestra
(14:28):
and that's it really is afantastic event for us.
We could not have any major anybetter opening of our season
and we are thankful for a largedonation that made this possible
.
And that's one of the beautyand benefit of New Art Symphony
the love around of music andmusicians is so that we get help
(14:53):
from a lot of members in waysthat are just remarkable.
In the same program, besides,there's a phonabolic horn
concerto, probably the top ofthe top of the all the horn solo
stuff.
We do an overture by Wagner,the Rienzi that is an early
Wagner, so somehow there is someRossini echo or some kind of
(15:18):
Verdi echo there.
So it's not the Wagner, we know, but it is a very joyful
overture in many ways and veryapproachable.
So it's a.
It's one of my favorites insome ways and I know that the
orchestra loves to play toobecause it has some direct
impact, like not a lot of othersyou know, of its production.
(15:42):
And then we in the second halfhave a selection of the three
suites by Prokofiev the Romeoand Juliet ballet, and that's
another super favorite piece.
What I tried to do in myselection, I tried to select
from the three suites in a waythat we have a little bit of all
(16:02):
the story.
So it's a combination thatbasically doesn't exist in its
own but is a selection that endswith the end of the story and
in the middle there is about themost important moments of the
of the Romeo and Juliet ballet.
(16:24):
The next concert in December iswe call the Holiday Spectacular
and is a great combination ofsoloists, of choirs, bells,
choirs, orchestra favoriteNutcracker, of course, and the
Hanukkah overture by Rick oneand, you know, some handle from
(16:46):
Messiah.
So there's just abouteverything that is connected to
a holiday, wonderful time Inspring.
We do in March the springsymphony by Schumann.
I think was appropriate fortime and spirit there.
And we are gonna have in theMarch concert our Concerto
Competition winner.
We don't know what, of course,the competition is in November.
(17:09):
So, by the way, if you want toapply for the competition, reach
out to us, there is still timeto apply.
And in May, our last symphonyconcert.
We have the Rachmaninoff SecondSymphony, which is one of the
favorite, plus a ConcertoCompetition winner as well, and
then we will decide if we put anoverture or not in the concert.
(17:31):
We don't know yet.
It depends.
If somebody wins with somethingshort, we put an overture, but
if somebody wins withTchaikovsky Violin Concerto,
then probably we won't recommendit long enough.
Our chamber series, professorChris Nichols from University of
Delaware playing the MozartClarinet Concerto, and we are
gonna do their Mozart Symphonynumber 25.
(17:54):
Then in February we are gonnahave our newer symphony choir,
because among the many thingsthat Newark does, we also have a
choir, the newer symphony choir, and they are gonna sing with
us.
Of course, in December withother choirs.
We have several choirs inDecember from several high
schools and then we are gonna doa piece for Choir and Orchestra
(18:20):
, the record from the leaving,and we're gonna have a Marianne
Mayer as a harp soloist with theDucie Dances.
And the last thing to mentionis the children concert that
this time is gonna be Tabi deTuba, with Brian Cox from
Salisiano being our soloist, whothen will perform at the Newark
(18:43):
Charter School.
Andy Truscott (18:44):
In your view, what is the enduring power and
relevance of orchestral music?
Simeone Tartaglione (18:49):
There is a misconception that to enjoy
classical music you need to havesome kind of training, or that
to enjoy an orchestra concertyou need to know more about
orchestral or classical music.
And it's a misconceptionbecause there is really no need.
I always remember mygrandmother expedience, my
(19:14):
grandmother, in Italy.
She was not able to write orread, so she was completely
illiterate.
Still, she went to the opera tosee the opera, the concert
every week that was their.
Instead of go to the movies,they went to the opera and to
the theater to do concerts.
And she understood that shedidn't need to read the plot or
(19:36):
read books to get the feelingsfrom the orchestra, from the
singers, from the conductor.
And when I listened to thatexperience, I have the proof
that and I had the proof in manyof my experience.
When I bring an orchestra to acommunity that never had one, as
long you approach and youcommunicate with the audience,
(19:58):
you explain, maybe from thestage, a little bit what's
happening and you play thinkingthe feelings that are behind the
notes, because you can do themost polished performance, but
if you really don't give amessage, you are not convinced
that there is a message offeelings, of humanity from the
(20:19):
score to the audience, then it'sa boring, deadly performance.
But a lot of concerts I've done,for example in the park, with
people coming from all over.
At the end of the concert I hadpeople coming.
You know it's my very firstconcert I ever attended of an
orchestra.
I didn't think I could like somuch.
I may go back and come back tosee you.
(20:40):
So in this aspect I think Newarkis very important in our
mission because we try to reachout to all segments of the
communities and especially whenI think there is an area that
could be not as close to us, themore I want to reach to them
and connect and let themunderstand and let them feel and
(21:02):
experience how an orchestraconcert is just as effective as
a pop concert.
Beethoven was pop music in someways.
You know there were fights inItaly between different operatic
composers, like there were popstars, so nothing really changed
the difference.
Maybe that of course a piece inclassical music lasts a little
(21:24):
more than three minutes.
But there is so much variety,so much things inside a movement
of a symphony that as long asyou open your heart you're going
to get it, and so the feelingof not belonging it really
doesn't apply to classical music.
Andy Truscott (21:44):
To me, Oney, thank you so much for joining me
today.
To learn more about the NewarkSymphony Orchestra, visit their
website at NewarkSymphonyorg.
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