Philadelphia Orchestra Winds

About This Performance This concert is supported in part by Ken Hutchins A dozen wind players from the Philadelphia Orchestra make their collective PCMS debut in this season-opening display of extraordinary international talent that calls Philly home. This performance with guest artists Yumi Kendall and Joseph Conyers features treasured works by Mozart and Dvořák and a world premiere by Curtis Institute of Music Chair of Composition Studies Nick DiBerardino. Philippe Tondre & Peter Smith, oboe; Ricardo Morales, Samuel Caviezel, & Socrates Villegas, clarinet; Paul Demers, bass clarinet; Daniel Matsukawa & Angela Anderson Smith, bassoon; Jennifer Montone, Jeffrey Lang, Christopher Dwyer, & Ernesto Tovar Torres, horn; with guest artists Yumi Kendall, cello & Joseph Conyers, double bass Mozart: Serenade in B-flat Major, K. 361, Gran Partita DiBerardino: New Piece TBA World Premiere/PCMS Commission Dvořák: Serenade for Winds in D Minor, Op. 44 The Artist(s) Philadelphia Orchestra Winds The Philadelphia Orchestra Winds ensemble includes these 12 outstanding wind players: Philippe Tondre joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as principal oboe at the start of the 2020-21 season. Born in Mulhouse, France, in 1989, he started studying the oboe at the age of six in Yves Cautrès’s class at the Mulhouse National School of Music before joining the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris,… Read More × Philadelphia Orchestra Winds The Philadelphia Orchestra Winds ensemble includes these 12 outstanding wind players: Philippe Tondre joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as principal oboe at the start of the 2020-21 season. Born in Mulhouse, France, in 1989, he started studying the oboe at the age of six in Yves Cautrès’s class at the Mulhouse National School of Music before joining the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where he studied with David Walter and Jacques Tys. Mr. Tondre also took lessons by teachers such as Maurice Bourgue, Heinz Holliger, Jean-Louis Capezzali, Dominik Wollenweber, and Ingo Goritzki. Mr. Tondre has performed as a soloist with various orchestras including the Bavarian Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, the Kammerakademie Potsdam, the Munich Chamber Orchestra, and the Osaka Philharmonic Orchestra. He made his debut in the Berlin Philharmonie in June 2013, playing Martinů’s Oboe Concerto, accompanied by the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. He is currently principal oboe of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (since March 2019), the SWR Symphonieorchester (since January 2009), the Budapest Festival Orchestra (since September 2014), the Mito Chamber Orchestra (since January 2012), and the Saito Kinen Orchestra (since January 2012). Associate Principal Oboe Peter Smith has been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 1991. He played with the Atlanta Symphony as acting principal oboe for a series in 2007 and was principal oboe with the Colorado Festival Orchestra in its 1991 season. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, he studied with Richard Woodhams. He has also studied with Louis Rosenblatt. Mr. Smith was a soloist in The Philadelphia Orchestra’s performances of Mozart’s Sinfonia concertante for winds and orchestra in 2010 at the Mann Center and at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. He was featured with the Orchestra in its Absolutely Mozart Festival at the Kimmel Center from 2002 to 2004. He was also a soloist with the Orchestra in the summers of 1992, 1994, and 2006. Over the last two decades, Mr. Smith has been featured numerous times in The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Chamber Music Series. Ricardo Morales is one of the most sought after clarinetists of today. He joined The Philadelphia Orchestra as principal clarinet in 2003 and made his solo debut with the Orchestra in 2004. He previously served as principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. During his tenure with that ensemble, he soloed at Carnegie Hall and on two European tours. He has also been a featured soloist with the Chicago Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Columbus Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, and the Flemish Radio Symphony. In addition, he was a featured soloist with the U.S. Marine Band, “The President’s Own,” with which he recorded Jonathan Leshnoff’s Clarinet Concerto, a piece commissioned for him by The Philadelphia Orchestra. Mr. Morales has been asked to perform as principal clarinet with the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony, and, at the invitation of Sir Simon Rattle, the Berlin Philharmonic. Samuel Caviezel, associate principal and E-flat clarinetist of The Philadelphia Orchestra, was born in Seattle and grew up in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. He began his clarinet studies with Laurie DeLuca of the Seattle Symphony, progressed through the Tacoma Youth Symphony Association, and spent his senior year of high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, studying with Deborah Chodacki. In 1992 he entered the Curtis Institute of Music, where he trained with then-Philadelphia Orchestra Associate Principal Clarinet Donald Montanaro. Upon graduation, he joined the Grand Rapids Symphony as principal clarinet, returning to Philadelphia two years later under the baton of Wolfgang Sawallisch. Mr. Caviezel has performed extensively both in and outside of the orchestra, most recently as a member of the Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble. When not performing or spending time with family and friends, he enjoys reading, camping, and unwinding with the occasional cigar. He is also currently an adjunct faculty member at Temple University. Mexican-born Socrates Villegas was appointed second clarinet of The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2016 by Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. His numerous awards include two consecutive first place prizes at the Mexican National Clarinet Contest (2003 and 2004), a First Prize at the 14th European Music Competition at Amiens, France (2008), Second Prize at the 2008 Young Artist Competition (International Clarinet Association), and First Prize at the Temple University Concerto Competition in 2015. Mr. Villegas holds a Master of Music degree from Temple University, where he studied with Ricardo Morales, principal clarinet of The Philadelphia Orchestra; a unanimous first prize for excellent from the Versailles Conservatory in France, where he studied with Philippe Cuper, principal clarinet of the Paris Opera; a Bachelor of Music degree from the National Conservatory in Mexico City, where he studied with Marina Calva; and a New Horizon fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where he studied with Joaquin Valdepeñas, principal clarinet of the Toronto Symphony. Paul R. Demers has been a member of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 2006. Prior to his appointment, he was a member of “The President’s Own” Marine Band in Washington, D.C., where he performed as soloist, E-flat clarinetist, and a member of the clarinet section. As a chamber musician, Mr. Demers has performed at numerous music festivals, including the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival, the Kingston Chamber Music Festival, and the Bravo! Vail Chamber Music Series. In Philadelphia he performs regularly with the Dolce Suono Ensemble and the Network for New Music. He currently serves on the faculty of Boyer College of Music at Temple University. During the summer months he teaches at Curtis Summerfest and the New York State School of Orchestral Studies. Originally from Westbrook, Maine, Mr. Demers attended the University of Southern Maine. He continued his studies at DePaul University in Chicago, where he earned Bachelor and Master of Music degrees and a Certificate in Performance. His primary teachers were John Bruce Yeh and Larry Combs. Daniel Matsukawa has been principal bassoon of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 2000. He is