Symphony of the Hills: Personnel

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Dear friends in music,

  I always say, “I think this next concert will be a lot of fun!” I have to admit that I get excited about each of our concerts as I program music that hopefully will please you and our other patrons. However, for this concert the table has been turned. You, and other patrons like you, chose the repertoire for this concert. At our concert in May last season each of you was given the opportunity to vote for your favorite selections performed by the orchestra in its first ten seasons. We tallied the votes and your four favorites comprise our repertoire for this evening’s concert.

  We begin our concert this evening with Finlandia by Jean Sibelius, first performed by the SOH in 2006. Since he wrote music celebrating his home country, Finland, and its seemingly endless struggles with neighboring Russia, Sibelius is considered a nationalist. The hymn like theme of this piece is revered by Finns as a second national anthem. The tune is also used in various protestant church hymnals.

  Ravel’s Bolero was initially performed by the Symphony of the Hills during the 2004-2005 season. This piece can be considered to be a musical experiment by Ravel as it is comprised of two 16 bar musical phrases superimposed above a recurring rhythmic accompaniment. Ravel, a master of orchestration varies the piece by adding instruments and orchestral colors until it ends in a raucous finish.

Jay B. Dunnahoo, Ed.D.
Conductor and Artistic Director

George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue is one of your very favorite Symphony of the Hills selections. This will be the third time we have performed this venerable piece, the first being in the orchestra’s inaugural Cailloux Theater concert in the spring of 2003. Dr. Donald Crandall also served as soloist in that first Cailloux Theater performance. Rising Star Jonathan Shim was the feature soloist when we performed the piece a second time in 2006.

The 1812 Overture, composed by Tchaikovsky, is an all-time audience favorite known for its interplay of two major musical themes, La Marseillaise and God Save the Tsar. This interplay is a musical presentation of the Russia’s defeat of the Napoleon’s army in 1812. At times solemn, it is best known for its glorious use of church bells, cannon fire, and triumphant brass music in its brilliant ending climax. The SOH first performed this piece in 2008.

On a mixed note this evening, the Symphony of the Hills salutes three young musicians who have been integral parts of the orchestra who are graduating this spring. We are happy for them as they take this next major step in life. We are saddened at the probability that they may not continue performing with the orchestra. These young people are cellist Sovreyne Chadwick, trombonist Hannah McDonald, and long-time SOH violinist Eric Bowser. Sovreyne and Hannah are graduating from Schreiner University and Eric is graduating from Our Lady of the Hills High School. Please see their photos and bios printed elsewhere in this program.

It has been a wonderful season. Thank you for your unwavering support. We are looking forward to more “fun” concerts next season.

All the best,

Jay B. Dunnahoo

Dr. Dunnahoo wins National Award

Symphony of the Hills Conductor and Artistic Director Dr. Jay Dunnahoo has been associated with a number of award-winning orchestras and has been honored with several awards for his orchestral work, most notably the Outstanding Music Educator Award of the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Before moving to Kerrville and developing the community orchestra into the Symphony of the Hills, Dr. Dunnahoo had a long career in public school music education, including Director of Music Education in the 40,000-student Pasadena (Texas) Independent School District. The high school orchestra that he conducted won the Texas Music Educators Association Honor Orchestra Award in 1976, in effect winning the Texas State championship. He also taught in San Angelo and Austin schools and San Jacinto College, and he played in the San Angelo Symphony as well as in bands accompanying the Ice Capades and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He continues to help students as a teacher and as Executive Secretary of the Texas Music Adjudicators Association, a 1,000-member body of music competition judges affiliated with the state Music Educators Association. In 1992, Dr. Dunnahoo was named Orchestra Director of the Year by the Texas Orchestra Directors Association.

Dr. Dunnahoo received the national award -- the only one given to a Texas educator -- from Richard Floyd, Director of Music Activities of the University Interscholastic League, at the state convention of the TMEA in San Antonio. The citation says that the award is given "in grateful appreciation of outstanding service and unselfish devotion to interscholastic music programs."

Dr. Dunnahoo is a veteran of Army service, holds three university degrees including a doctorate from the University of Houston, and has been active in other areas in Kerrville as a music instructor at Schreiner University, conductor of the Hill Country Youth Orchestras and now as Conductor and Artistic Director of the Symphony of the Hills. He and his wife Jodie have four children and eight grandchildren.


	Also see Letter to the Daily Times

The orchestra is operated by the Symphony of the Hills Association, a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.

Photographs by Debbie Conner, unless otherwise noted.