Friday, February 9, 2023
7:00 PM
Kopleff Recital Hall
Piano Concerto, No.3, op.37 in C minor
I. Allegro Con Brio
Ludwig Van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Ruby Tu, piano soloist
Ruby Tu
Ruby Tu is an artist certificate student at GSU studying piano performance in Dr. Haydon’s studio. She graduated with her masters last year. She is from Taiwan Taipei where she earned her Bachelor of Music in piano performance at National Taipei University of Education. She is a piano accompanist at Atlanta Chinese Christian Church and plans to continue pursuing the doctoral of music this fall.
CHANSONS DE RONSARD
I. À une fontaine
II. À Cupidon
III. Tais-Toi, babillarde Arondelle
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)
Emily Adams, soprano soloist
Emily Adams
Emily L. Adams is a coloratura soprano from Raceland, Louisiana and is a graduate of Northwestern State University, B.M. ’21 and Georgia State University, M.M. ‘23 in Voice Performance. In her time at GSU, she was leading characters such as La Contessa (Le Nozze di Figaro), Belinda (Dido and Aeneas), and Emily Webb (Our Town). Ms. Adams is an avid performer of the operas of Handel, Mozart, and of the bel canto period, debuting roles recently with St. Petersburg Opera as the cover artist for the titular characters in Handel’s Alcina and her upcoming debut in Lucia di Lammermoor in June ‘24. As an active performer in the Atlanta metro area, she can be seen at numerous solo performances such as the Opera Guild for Atlanta, multiple local Atlanta metro churches as a soloist, Capitol City’s “Dinner and a Diva”, and most recently as a soloist for Christmas on Clairemont. When she isn’t traveling to sing or singing around Atlanta, she is teaching her extraordinary students at Hawk Music Academy in Cumming, GA, or at home bothering her neighbors with her stratospheric voice. Ms. Adams is under the tutelage of Kathryn Hartgrove.
Concerto for Marimba and Strings
III.
Emmanuel Séjourné (b. 1961)
Shelby Brooks, marimba soloist
Shelby Brooks
Atlanta-based musician Shelby Brooks earned her bachelor’s degree in music performance at Georgia State University and is currently a graduate student at Georgia State University, concentrating in orchestral percussion performance. Shelby has performed in such ensembles as the Cadets Drum & Bugle Corps (2013), Colts Drum & Bugle Corps (2010), Georgia State Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and the Forsyth Central scholastic world class drum line. She currently works as a worship pastor in Kennesaw, GA.
Dr. Tamara Dworetz
Tamara comes to Georgia State University with an impressive background working with professional, collegiate and youth orchestras. Professionally, she has conducted the Paris Mozart Orchestra, Boston Pops, Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, Amarillo Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Mankato Symphony. She was recently appointed the new Artistic Director & Conductor of the Georgia Philharmonic. Dworetz has also worked with world-class orchestras and conductors in Europe as Assistant Conductor – Orchestre de Paris with Klaus Mäkelä, Gürzenich Orchestre Cologne with François-Xavier Roth and the BBC Concert Orchestra with her late mentor, Bramwell Tovey. As an opera conductor, she has led the Dallas Opera Orchestra and served as Assistant Conductor for Indianapolis, Atlanta and Butler Center Operas.
Dr. Dworetz’s musical beginnings took place in the Atlanta public school system. After graduating from North Springs HS in Fulton County, Dr. Dworetz was Assistant Band Director at Alpharetta High School before serving as Director of Orchestras at Lakeside High School in Atlanta where she increased enrollment by 50% over 3 years. In addition to her public school teaching, she has guest-conducted the TMEA (Texas) All-State Philharmonic Orchestra, All-Northwest Honors Orchestra (students from 6 states), and will lead the 2024 Colorado All-State Symphony Orchestra and Georgia 11-12 All-State String Orchestra. She has also worked extensively with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, Austin Youth Orchestra and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. Last summer she served as an Assistant Conductor with the Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra 2 (NYO2) which performed at Carnegie Hall and their first-ever tour (Dominican Republic); this summer she will return as a Resident Conductor, helping prepare both the NYO and NYO2 orchestras, and traveling with Marin Alsop and NYO on their South American tour. At the National Conference of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA) she will serve as guest conductor for the National Teachers’ Orchestra in their partnership with the New Canon Project.
Dr. Dworetz was recently selected as 1 of 14 candidates from a worldwide pool in the 2022 La Maestra Conducting Competition and Academy for Women Conductors in Paris, France. She was the only US-born conductor selected for the competition and earned a spot as one of 6 semi-finalists. ‘Maestra’, a documentary directed by Maggie Contreras, features 5 conductors from the competition, including Tamara, and was premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and highlighted on CBS National News as well as international film festivals.
Prior to her appointment at Georgia State, Dr. Dworetz served as the Music Director of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY) Orchestra and Concert Choir. She has led guest conducting residencies at the University of Texas at Austin, Boston University, SUNY Fredonia School of Music & Longy Conservatory at Bard College.
Dr. Dworetz holds degrees from Indiana University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Georgia and Boston University.
Stephanie Morera
Graduate Orchestral Conductor
Stephanie is a Costa Rican conductor who is currently studying in the USA. She is the Georgia Philharmonic’s inaugural conducting fellow and will serve as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Assistant Conductor in several family concerts this season. She attends Georgia State University where she serves as Assistant Conductor for the GSU Symphony Orchestra and works with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra of Atlanta. Stephanie has already had a versatile career. She was the first Costa Rican woman to conduct an opera in Costa Rica. From 2022 – 2023, she conducted seven concerts with the Orquesta de Costa Rica, featuring genres such as pop, rock, blues, jazz, soundtracks, and video game music. She is especially passionate about programming Latin symphonic music. She conducted the premiere of “Oratorio Participativo por la Autonomía Universitaria” by the world-renowned composer Mario Alfagüel. She also conducted the University of Costa Rica’s Campus Orchestra “Humanidades” premiering works by celebrated Costa Rican composers, Rocío Sans and Willam Porras.
A passionate music educator, she has been invited to guest conduct high school orchestras and productions of the University of Costa Rica Symphonic Orchestra and opera program. Comfortable on stage in many capacities, Stephanie served as Conductor and actress in a Family Concert. She also works with the Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra of Atlanta, and the GSU Campus Orchestra. Stephanie is a well-versed musician who grew up performing the violin. When she was 20, she performed at the internationally-acclaimed Nezahualcoyotl Music Hall in Mexico and the Rubén Darío National Theatre in Nicaragua. Stephanie has two Bachelor’s degrees for which she earned merit scholarships – she earned a Bachelor in Music Education from the National University of Costa Rica and a Bachelor of Music in Conducting from the University of Costa Rica. During her undergraduate years, she gained versatile experiences conducting choirs, orchestras, symphonic bands, and guitar orchestras.
Jackson Allred
Graduate Orchestral Conductor
Jackson Allred is a conductor based in Atlanta, Georgia. He serves as the Assistant Conducting Fellow for the Georgia Philharmonic and Assistant Conductor to the Georgia State Symphony Orchestra under Music Director Dr. Tamara Dworetz. Additionally, he assists with the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra working with Music Director and Associate Conductor to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, William R. Langley. He won first prize in the 2023 Undergraduate Wind and Percussion Conducting Competition at Georgia State University, and attended the National Orchestral Institute, working with Marin Alsop and James Ross.
Jackson recently conducted a recording project including excerpts from Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale and Schubert’s Octet in F Major. In addition to his conducting endeavors, Jackson is a versatile performing musician. Having grown up performing in his church and school’s choir, band and orchestras, he continues to perform as a pianist, vocalist, and timpanist. He is passionate about making orchestral music accessible to as many communities as possible.
Outside of his music career, Jackson enjoys various outdoor activities such as diving, horse riding, biking, climbing, river kayaking, gardening, and caring for his two dogs. He is grateful for the unwavering support of his wife, family, and friends in his pursuit of music and all his passions.