Conductor Mei-Ann Chen
Anne Movalson
On Sunday, April 17, 2016, the SaddleBrooke Symphony Guild will have the last event of this season. We will attend the Tucson Symphony Orchestra’s Classic 8 Concert, Sailing with Scheherazade, at the Tucson Music Hall and then have dinner at the Café’ a La C’Art. The conductor is Mei-Ann Chen, one of America’s most dynamic young conductors. Born in Taiwan, she has lived in the United States since 1989. She was the first person in New England Conservatory history to receive master’s degrees simultaneously in both violin and conducting. She went on to the University of Michigan and earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting. She has appeared with many symphonies in the U.S.A. and world-wide. Currently she is Music Director of the Memphis Symphony and the Chicago Sinfonietta.
Our sailing trip begins with a river cruise, The Moldau, by Bedrich Smetana. According to the composer, the tone poem depicts “the course of the Vltava,” the longest river in the Czech Republic, as its two springs Warm Vltava and Cold Vltava begin and then merge into one. This river meanders through forests and countryside until it joins the river Elbe for a glorious sail past castles and lofty rocks.
Our next “trip” comes from the opera Peter Grimes by Benjamin Britten, and is entitled Four Sea Interludes. We will encounter Dawn, Sunday Morning, Moonlight and finally the Storm. As a person who spent summer months sailing on Lake Michigan, I can attest to the fact that you will meet all of the above on a sailboat! Having the right sailing boat is crucial to ensure a smooth ride, this includes the boat being in good condition as well as the right boat for your desired use, decreasing corrosion is a top priority. Keeping corrosion in control can be done by learning how to clean correctly and by purchasing the right mechanics such as good-quality marine batteries. The battery for your boat is at the heart of any boating experience, ensuring that you have the right power to sail to adventurous lands, being safe and exploring all of the possible opportunities your trip can offer you.
Scheherazade’s composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov came from a family of sailors. He began his career by joining the Imperial Russian Navy and traveled the world. It wasn’t until he met some influential Russian composers that he gave thought to composing music. Early in his musical career, he served as Inspector of Naval Bands and was kept on the Navy’s payroll but resigned his commission in the Navy. About the time he composed the music for Scheherazade, the Russian military did away with his position and he gave full attention to his own composing of music.
For dinner you can choose grilled salmon salad, bistro salad with blackened chicken, grilled apricot chicken salad or Rothschild sandwich (wine-braised beef brisket, roasted red peppers and melted pepper jack cheese on a Kaiser roll. Dessert is a dessert bar cookie and all non-alcoholic beverages are included.
To attend this event, please call Lynda or Craig Saunders at 825-3425 to make reservations. The cost for the bus trip, concert ticket, dinner, tips and taxes is $90 per person or $46 is you have your own ticket. Send check, payable to SSG, to Vikki Williams at 38851 S. Moonwood Drive, Tucson Arizona 85739. Our shore bus will leave promptly at noon from the DesertView Clubhouse on April 17, 2016. All aboard for a wonderful afternoon of sailing with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra!