Thursday, December 5, 2024 | 7:00 PM
Prof. Tania Maxwell Clements, conductor
Garrett Clay, graduate assistant conductor
Air on the G String
JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH | 1665-1750
Tania Maxwell Clements, conductor
This is a piece you may not know the name of, but will most liekly recognize. "Air on the G String", also known as "Air for G String" and "Celebrated Air", is August Wilhelmj's 1871 arrangement of the second movement of Johann Sebastian Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major. On the score he wrote auf der G-Saite (on the G string) above the staff for the solo violin, which gave the arrangement its nickname. The dynamic markings added by Wilhelmj are more in line with a Romantic interpretation than with the Baroque original.
Watch a video with traditional baroque instruments here!
Pavane pour un infante défunte
MAURICE RAVEL | 1875-1937
ARR. JEFF MANOOKIAN
Garrett Clay, graduate assistant conductor
Maurice Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte is like a wistful dance through a forgotten, dreamy court. The title, "Pavane for a Dead Princess," evokes an image of a young royal, long gone, whose memory lingers in the soft swirls of the music. The music has a delicate, almost nostalgic quality, as if remembering something from the past. It’s not sad, but there’s a certain calmness to it, with each note unfolding gently, like a dance or a procession.
Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 8
ARCANGELO CORELLI | 1653-1713
ARR. TODD PARRISH
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro
Tania Maxwell Clements, conductor
Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 8, also known as the Christmas Concerto, is like a musical gift wrapped in Baroque elegance. The piece has a warm, festive vibe that’s perfect for the holiday season, with bright, lively strings and a sense of joyful celebration. The opening slow movement is serene, like a peaceful winter night, before the music picks up with sprightly, dance-like sections that almost feel like a musical snowball fight—full of energy and sparkle. It’s a perfect mix of grandiosity and charm, showing off Corelli’s knack for creating beautiful, catchy melodies.
Auld Lang Syne
ARR. CHIP DAVIS | B. 1947 & ROBERT LONGFIELD | B. 1947
Garrett Clay, graduate assistant conductor
"Auld Lang Syne" is a traditional Scottish song, best known for being sung at New Year's Eve celebrations around the world. The lyrics, written by poet Robert Burns in 1788, are based on an older Scottish folk song. The title translates to "old long since," meaning "days gone by" or "times long past." The song gained international fame after it was sung at the first public New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, New York, in 1907, solidifying its place as a beloved tune marking the passing of time.
Orchestra
Conductors
Professor Tania Maxwell Clements
Tania Maxwell Clements attained a BA in Music Performance (Viola) and a Certificate of Post-Graduate Studies (Viola Performance) from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she studied viola with James Durrant. During her studies at the RCS she won the prestigious Watson Forbes Prize for Viola Playing and the Viola Challenge Prize. Her studies continued in Switzerland at the International Menuhin Music Academy (IMMA) for two consecutive years, working intensively with Alberto Lysy and Johannes Eskar. During this time she performed regularly with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and artists such as Igor Oistrakh and Donald McInnes. She was principal viola and soloist with the Camerata Lysy and performed as soloist at the Menuhin Festival, Gstaad and at festivals in France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Wales.
Upon leaving the IMMA, Tania was invited to become a founding member of the Seville Symphony Orchestra (ROSS) in Spain and from there was invited to join the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in Manchester, England as Associate Principal Viola. Whilst working with the BBC, Tania also held the principal viola position with the Northern Symphony Orchestra and was invited to perform as guest principal with the Halle Orchestra and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. During this time, she was also a founding member of the Wralle flute, viola and harp Trio and the Puligny String Quartet.
Over the years she has performed with many other orchestras including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish Orchestra (formerly the SNO), the BP Scottish Ensemble, the Scottish Opera Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the East of England Orchestra and the Royal Festival Orchestra. She has played at some of the world’s most prestigious venues including Covent Garden and the Royal Albert Hall in London, the Philharmonie in Berlin, Boston’s Symphony Hall, New York’sLincoln Center, La Scala Milan in Itay, the Musikverein in Vienna and Prague’s Dvorak Hall. After moving to Atlanta in 1998, she performed with the Atlanta Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Savannah Philharmonic and Macon Symphony orchestras, the Atlanta Chamber Players, the Kopec String Quartet, Musica da Camera, the Lyra String Quartet, and the Vega Quartet.
Tania has a prolific recording career and appears on over one hundred CD’s (and hundreds more recordings) covering orchestral, solo and chamber repertoire. She is a strong supporter of new music for the viola and has personally commissioned many new works for her instrument.
She also has a very active career playing and recording with many rock bands and other artists, such as The Who, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles, Natalie Cole, Common, and many Broadway artists.
Tania Maxwell Clements is also a master teacher. Before her distinguished career teaching at GSU, she taught orchestral techniques at Chethams School of Music (a Yehudi Menuhin School) and the Royal Northern College of Music in England and has also taught at the Junior Department of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Garrett Clay
GRADUATE ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Garrett Adam Clay is an incoming graduate student pursuing a Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting. From 2022 to 2024, Garrett was the orchestra and chorus director at Peachtree Middle School in DeKalb County, Georgia. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from Kennesaw State University in 2022. While at KSU, Garrett enjoyed performing as a cellist in the KSU Symphony as well as the Cooke Scholarship String Quartet. In 2020, he was awarded first prize in the university’s Symposium of Student Scholars, for which he conducted research on Shostakovich’s string quartets. Garrett is currently an active section player of the Georgia Philharmonic, which he joined in 2021, as well as a freelance cellist in the metro-Atlanta area.
Credits:
Created with images by warunthorn - "Abstract Violin Art." • Thares2020 - "Illuminating Electric Violin with Flowing Currents in Sleek Modern Design" • ZackZephyr - "Violin with Golden Liquid Splashes" • Alex - "A violin made of crystal suspended in mid-air. Classical music background concept. " • hisilly - "Melodic Blooms: Violin and Flowers on a Dark Background for Music Poster Design"