Musical Antipasti

Concert Preview

The Dallas Symphony's 2008-2009 season, A Taste of Italy, begins with Musical Antipasti. This special program includes two works by a Russian and a German respectively, about their impressions of Italy. The program opens with Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien, Op. 45. This work was written by the composer after he visited Italy in 1880 and is based on the melodies he heard during his time there. One of his most popular works, it is pure entertainment. The second half features Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Opus 90("Italian"). Written about 50 years prior to Tchaikovsky's take on the country, Mendelssohn wrote his symphony based on his impressions of the art, nature and people of Italy. It is easily the most popular of all his symphonies, with an opening theme that is one of the most famous in all of symphonic music.

The program also includes a special collaboration between husband and wife conductor and soloist Richard Giangiulio and Maria Schleuning in a performance of the Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1. The entire program is one not to miss!

The Performers

Maestro Richard Giangiulio is Music Director and Conductor of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, is now in his twenty-seventh season with the GDYO.

Mr. Giangiulio holds music degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, the Juilliard School of Music and the Paris Conservatory where he studied under Maurice Andre while on a Fulbright grant, and was awarded the first prize. In 1967, Mr. Giangiulio was a First Medal winner in the Geneva International Trumpet Competition. He has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Knoxville Symphony, and at summer festivals in Ansbach, Germany; Lucerne, Switzerland; and Lieksa, Finland. He served as Principal and Co-Principal Trumpet of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for thirty-two years. From 1977-1982 Mr. Giangiulio was the assistant conductor for educational concerts with the Dallas Symphony, developing and conducting multi-age youth and park concerts. He continues a close relationship with the DSO, conducting on pops, parks, community, corporate, family and other types of programming.

Mr. Giangiulio is also the Music Director and Conductor of the Allen Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra as well as Director of the Symphony Orchestra of the Idyllwild Arts Summer Camp in California.

He has recorded seven albums with Crystal Records. Mr. Giangiulio has three children, all of whom have been members of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.

Maria Schleuning has been a member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra since 1994 where she has been featured as a soloist on numerous occasions. Other solo appearances include performances with the Oregon Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and as an alumni soloist with the Portland Youth Philharmonic (OR). In 2004, she performed the Barber violin concerto with the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra on tour in Eastern Europe which included concerts at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig and the Rudolfinum in Prague.

As a chamber musician, she has performed in Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, with Villa Musica in Germany, Music in the Mountains (CO), Skaneateles Festival, and Idyllwild Arts. In Dallas, Ms. Schleuning regularly performs with the 1999 Grammy nominated new music ensemble Voices of Change and with the Walden Piano Quartet. She has recorded with both ensembles, the most recent being an all Brahms CD with Walden.

Ms. Schleuning has served as concertmaster of the Banff Festival Orchestra, the Evian International Festival (France), Indiana University Philharmonic, and the Tanglewood Young Artists’ Orchestra. She studied with Josef Gingold at Indiana University where she was awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate, with Yfrah Neaman at the Guildhall School in London, and with Joel Smirnoff at The Juilliard School where she received her Masters Degree. She has been on the faculty of the Bowdoin International Music Festival since 1993.

Before the Concert

Learn more about this concert at the Performance Prelude, from 7:15 until 7:45 p.m. on the lower level of the Greenville Municipal Auditorium. Kevin Salfen, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Musicology at Southern Methodist University, is again the speaker for all Dallas Symphony in Greenville concerts.