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Heights Chamber Orchestra Concert


Award-winning Conductor Dean Buck has been described by Cleveland Classical as “fearless and firm,” and “precise and confident.” In September 2023, Dean was awarded Second Prize (First Prize was not awarded) at the 2nd International Italian Conducting Competition - Alceo Galliera in Bordighera, Italy. Dean serves as opera conductor at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory. He is the Interim Director of Orchestras at The University of Akron, and Assistant Conductor and Chorus Master of Cleveland Opera Theater. Dean previously served as Principal Conductor of the New York City based LoftOpera where he conducted eight productions. The New York Times called his conducting “tender and gentle,” as well as “agile and well balanced.” Since relocating to Cleveland, Dean has cemented himself in the orchestral scene. He is a frequent Guest Conductor of the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Pops Orchestra, and The Firelands Symphony Orchestra. He regularly appears with the Heights Chamber Orchestra and Suburban Symphony Orchestra, and has worked extensively with the Blue Streak Ensemble, a contemporary chamber group founded by renowned composer Margaret Brouwer. Dr. Konrad Kowal is a Chicago born Polish American violinist. In May 2024, Konrad received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) and was the recipient of the Hope and Stanley Adelstein Prize for Excellence in Orchestral Performance. A committed orchestral musician, Konrad serves as the Concertmaster of the Canton Symphony Orchestra and the Lexington Bach Festival Orchestra. He regularly performs recitals across the United States. As a chamber musician, Konrad has collaborated with the Emerson String Quartet and with members of the Cleveland Orchestra. 2024–25 Season highlights include a solo debut with the Canton Symphony Orchestra, performing Max Bruch’s First Violin Concerto and performing Brahms Violin Concerto with the Heights Chamber Orchestra. In addition to performance, Konrad teaches privately and is the teaching assistant of Olga Kaler. Konrad plays on a violin made by Joseph Curtin. He resides in Cleveland Heights, Ohio with his wife, Weronika. Fierrabras is a three-act opera written by composer Franz Schubert in 1823, The libretto, combined the ancient French epic poem the Chanson de Roland, a fictional tale based on Charlemagne’s campaign against the Moors. Although Fierrabras did not premier in its entirety until 1897, parts of the piece saw performances at various times in the nineteenth century, including a number of concert appearances for the overture. An 1867 review in The Musical World reports that the overture “has the imprint of Schubert’s individuality stamped on every theme and passage ... [and] found a large number of hearers, and hearty appreciation to boot,” while an 1872 review in the same publication states that “Schubert’s overture ... deserves more frequent hearing. It is very original, like everything that came from the pen of its wonderfully gifted author ... and [it] made a deep impression.” Finlandia, is a tone poem for orchestra by Jean Sibelius. It was composed in 1899 and premiered in the composer’s native Finland. The central melody is sometimes sung as the hymn “Be Still, My Soul.” Finlandia had its origins in political protest. It was written for the Finnish Press Pension Celebration of 1899, a thinly veiled rally in support of freedom of the Finnish press, then largely controlled by tsarist Russia. The tone poem begins with brass and timpani setting a tense and ominous mood. A darkly regal atmosphere is created by the gradual addition of strings and woodwinds. A brisk, driving passage of energy follows, leading gradually to a new mood that is bright and festive. The serene central melody then plays out in expansive phrases. Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77, is a three movement concerto for violin and orchestra by Johannes Brahms. Brahms began to write this work in the summer of 1878 for his friend Hungarian violinist Joseph Joachim. Some listeners were skeptical of the new piece, which seemed as if it would prove to be beyond the abilities of most violinists. One observer, conductor and pianist Hans von Bülow, asserted that it was a concerto not for but “against the violin,” and Brahms and Joachim continued to revise the work until its publication six months later. One feature of the work that remained was a passage in the second movement in which the violin soloist steps out of the spotlight to allow for an extended oboe solo.

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