Overture to Der Freischütz, op. 77
Carl Maria von Weber
The Opera Carl Maria von Weber’s 1821 opera Der Freischütz (The Freeshooter) is widely recognized as the foundational work of German Romantic opera. Composed between 1817 and 1821 and premiered in Berlin, this three act Singspiel with spoken dialogue draws on German folk legend and early Romantic interests in the supernatural, the natural world, and the moral tension between good and evil. At its center is Max, a huntsman whose confidence and marksmanship fail him at the very moment he must win a shooting contest, declared by Cuno, Agathe’s father and hereditary forester, to marry Agathe and become his rightful successor. In his desperation to improve himself and secure his future, Max is persuaded by his brooding companion Caspar, who has already forfeited his soul to Samiel, the Black Huntsman, into entering a Faustian bargain. Together they summon seven magic bullets, six of which Max controls, while the seventh belongs to Samiel and will strike whatever target the demonic power chooses. The Music The Overture condenses the opera’s dramatic trajectory into a concentrated musical narrative that foregrounds its central moral question concerning the conflict between good and evil. It begins with broad orchestral gestures and a noble horn chorale that evoke the hunting community and the forest environment, before the atmosphere shifts suddenly with tremolo strings and a diminished seventh chord associated with Samiel’s diabolical presence. The principal fast section unfolds in sonata form. Its turbulent first theme, derived from Max’s Act I aria, reflects his unsettled and darker character as it moves from agitated C minor writing into a grim, marchlike quality. In contrast stands a luminous second theme in C major, taken from Agathe’s Act II aria, initially shaped by antiphonal exchanges between woodwinds, low strings, and brass that suggest lingering uncertainty. By the conclusion, however, C major ultimately prevails over C minor. Agathe’s loving and redemptive music triumphs over Samiel’s sinister influence, and the Overture, like the opera, resolves its opening question by affirming that love and grace overcome the forces of darkness.
Note by Jordan Owen
Violin Concerto in D minor, op. 47
Jean SIbelius
Jean Sibelius composed his Violin Concerto in D minor, op.47, between 1902 and 1904, marking his only completed foray into the genre due to a naturally solemn disposition. While encouraged by German virtuoso Willy Burmester to write the piece, Sibelius was forced by financial strain and personal turbulence to move the premiere to a date that Burmester could not accommodate, leading the offended violinist to never perform it. Over a barely audible murmur in the strings, the solo violin introduces the principal theme of the first movement, a dark, sighing idea that gradually gains intensity. The theme conveys both longing and passion and returns multiple times throughout the movement. The composer’s stylistic features are evident throughout, including somber orchestral colors, swelling brass chords, slow harmonic motion, and expressive melodic writing.
Note by Jordan Owen
Horqin Rhapsody for Orchestra
Horqin Rhapsody is an orchestral work composed in the Mongolian style. The music is magnificent and grand, characterized by a tempestuous performance that evokes the vast and majestic landscape of the grassland. The piece is divided into four sections: —Introduction: Ancient horns awaken the slumbering grassland. —First Section: Depicts a magnificent scene of herds of horses galloping across the plains, stirring and awe-inspiring. —Second Section: Portrays the profound and serene expanse of the grassland. —Third Section: Presents a vision of nature and humanity in perfect harmony, celebrating the passionate, unrestrained, and optimistic spirit of the grassland people in the face of hardship.
Note by the composer
Capriccio on a Pastoral Theme
Capriccio on a Pastoral Theme depicts the vast pastures, gentle winds, clear skies, and serene waters of the northern frontier of the motherland. The piece is composed in a rhapsodic style and free form. Its inspiration is drawn from the pastoral songs of the grassland, incorporating traditional Mongolian folk songs praising the Mongolian horse. The work skillfully blends the horsehead fiddle with symphonic accompaniment, celebrating the grassland people's love for their homeland and their efforts in building a magnificent northern frontier. It also reflects their noble inner world, dedicated to ecological preservation and harmonious coexistence with nature.
Note by the composer
Academic Festival Overture
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms came from a working-class family in Hamburg. Money was tight. To help make ends meet, Brahms quit school at fourteen and headed to the seaport to work as a barroom musician. Brahms was unlikely to attend University, however his duo-partner, the violinist Joseph Joachim, invited Brahms into University life, over a couple of summer months in Göttingen, while Joachim and his friends took Philosophy and History classes.(It was to Joachim that he would late dedicate his monumental violin concerto.) It was during these summer months that Brahms acquainted himself with beer halls and student drinking songs. By 1879, Brahms was an established composer when the University of Breslau presented Brahms with an honorary Doctor of Philosophy. In return, the University requested him to compose a piece as a musical “thank you”. Brahms did not appreciate this and instead of the traditional symphony the academics expected, they received a beautifully orchestrate medley of student drinking songs that has become one of Brahms' best-known works. In Academic Festival Overture, Brahms skillfully weaves together four traditional beer-hall songs that would have been well-known to German university students of his era. The first, "Wir hatten gebauet ein stattliches Haus" ("We have built a stately house") is a majestic trumpet chorale that carried significant political weight; associated with student groups advocating for German unification. This is followed by the lyrical “Der Landesvater” (“Father of our Country”) in the strings and the humorous, bassoon led “Was kommt dort von der Höh? (“What comes from afar?”), a lighthearted tune traditionally used during freshman initiations. The piece culminates in a triumphant full-orchestra rendition of “Gaudeamus igitur” (“Let us rejoice, therefore”) a popular 13th-century commencement song that elaborates the rowdy, carefree spirit of student life.
Note by Jordan Owen
Siana Wong
Siana Wong is a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, with Malaysian heritage. Before attending college she was a member of the Greensboro and Winston-Salem Symphony Youth Orchestras, winning their concerto competition and performing as a soloist with them. She pursued her Bachelor of Music degree at UNC Chapel Hill under the tutelage of Nicholas DiEugenio, as well as a BA in biology. During her time at Chapel Hill, Siana was also a winner of the concerto competition. Siana is an avid chamber music performer in and out of her home state of NC, including performances with EMF and UNCG faculty. Siana spent many summers at the Luby Violin Symposium at Chapel Hill, having the opportunity to learn from first-class violinists from around the globe. She has also attended the Instrumental Program of Chautauqua Institution and participated in master classes with Ana Luque, Shannon Thomas and others. Siana is a member of Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra, Western Piedmont Symphony, and she has recently been appointed Associate Concertmaster of Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. In addition to her performing career, she enjoys teaching in her private studio. Currently, Siana is extending her studies at UNCG, pursuing a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Performance Studies with Dr. Fabián López. She plays on a Wojciech Topa violin from 2017.
Suyahan
Born in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, China to ethnic Mongolian parents, Suyahan was fascinated from a young age by the expressiveness of the Morin Khuur—(Horsehead Fiddle or Matou Qin). After undergraduate study, he went to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to complete his MM and then his DMA at the Mongolia National University of Education. Prof. Suyahan has won numerous accolades for his performances in China, and he has received many teaching excellence awards from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region during his teaching at the Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities (IMUN).
Jordan Owen
Jordan Owen is a Jamaican American conductor currently based in Greensboro, North Carolina. He serves as the Graduate Assistant Conductor of the UNCG Orchestras and Opera Theatre and as the Conducting Fellow with the Spartanburg Philharmonic for the 2024–25 season. In these roles, he assists with rehearsals and performances while leading educational and community initiatives, reflecting his commitment to fostering meaningful connections between orchestras and their audiences. An emerging conductor, Owen has led ensembles including the New York Session Symphony, ICWC Festival Orchestra, UNCG Symphony Orchestra, UNCG Sinfonia, Atlanta Music Project Senior Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic, and the Petrie Festival Orchestra. He has also studied and performed at the Wintergreen Music Festival, appearing with the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra, and was selected as one of three 2024 New York Session Symphony Emerging Conducting Fellows. In 2025, he was one of six invited participants in the Purdue Conducting Masterclass with Carl Topilow. In 2026, he was one of four selected participants for the CODA National Conference masterclass with Diane Wittry. Jordan Owen has toured the southern United States with the Atlanta Music Project as assistant conductor and will return to conduct and record performances for their upcoming season. Dedicated to music education, he works with student ensembles throughout the Southeast, emphasizing both technical precision and expressive depth. He studied music history, composition, and Cello performance at the Petrie School of Music at Converse University, where he received a Bachelor of Music, and is currently completing his Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro under the guidance of Jungho Kim.
Jungho Kim
Dr. Jungho Kim has established an outstanding reputation over the past two decades for his superb musicality and leadership on the podium. He has conducted numerous orchestras around the world including the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Canada, Savaria Symphony Orchestra and Dohnanyi Orchestra Budafok in Hungary, Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, and Buffalo Philharmonic. After successfully leading the Augustana University Orchestra, Kim has served as the Director of Orchestra at the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music at Kent State University. He was recently named Music Director and Conductor of the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra as well as the Tuscarawas Philharmonic.
Following his first professional three-year position as a section violinist at Gyeonggi Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea, Kim went on to earn two master’s degrees in violin performance and orchestral conducting from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. It was the renowned conductor Maestra Xian Zhang—Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and La Verdi Orchestra Sinfonica in Milan, Italy—who offered Kim the position as Associate Conductor of the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra.
Kim completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Eastman School of Music under the guidance of Maestro Neil Varon. He served as the assistant conductor of the Rochester Philharmonic and was awarded the Walter Hagen Conducting Prize during his doctoral studies. Along with the opportunities he has had to study with world famous artists, such as Maestro Kurt Masur and Pinchas Zukerman, his most meaningful successes in life have been meeting his wife, violinist Dr. Eunho Kim, and raising their two boys, Teo and Juno, as well as their dog, Kobi.