VSO Holiday Pops
with Maestro Farkhad Khudyev and Clarinetist David Shifrin
Saturday, December 14 | 7 PM & Sunday, December 15 | 3 PM
Skyview Concert Hall, 1300 NW 139th St, Vancouver, WA 98685
Guest conductor Farkhad Khudyev leads this Holiday Pops program, which opens with a grand overture by Suppé, and a suite from Tchaikovsky’s well-known Swan Lake. After an evocative work by Florence Price, we welcome clarinetist David Shifrin for a set of three entertaining works: by Eldar Hudiyev, John Williams, and Michele Mangani’s Blues from “An American in Paris.” After a pair of Holiday favorites by Leroy Anderson, we end, as always, in Vienna!
The 2024/25 Symphonic Series season is presented by United Grain Corporation.
ABOUT FARKHAD KHUDYEV
Farkhad Khudyev, of Azerbaijani descent, was born in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where he first studied violin, piano and composition at the State Music School for gifted musicians. At the age of 10, he distinguished himself as the youngest performer selected to play with the National Violin Ensemble of Turkmenistan and toured around Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
Currently, Mr. Khudyev serves as the Music Director of the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra and the Assistant Professor of Music in Orchestral Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, as well as the Music Director of the Orchestral Institute at the Hidden Valley Institute of the Arts in Carmel, California.
ABOUT DAVID SHIFRIN
An artist member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 1989, Mr. Shifrin served as its Artistic Director from 1992 to 2004. He has toured extensively throughout the United States with CMSLC and hosted and performed in several national television broadcasts on PBS's Live from Lincoln Center. He also served as Artistic Director of Portland's Chamber Music Northwest from 1981 through 2020 and is currently Artistic Director of the Phoenix Chamber Music Festival.
PROGRAM:
Suppé Light Cavalry Overture
Tchaikovsky Suite from “Swan Lake,” Op. 20a
Price Dances in the Canebrakes
Hudiyev Circus*
Williams Viktor's Tale from "The Terminal"*
Mangani Blues from "An American in Paris"*
Anderson A Christmas Festival
Anderson Sleigh Ride
Strauss II Tristch-Tratsch Polka
Strauss I Radetzky March
*David Shifrin, clarinet
PRE-CONCERT TALK:
An hour before each performance, 6 PM on Saturday and 2 PM on Sunday, all ticket holders will enjoy an educational pre-concert talk from a VSO Musician or VSO's Music Director and Conductor Salvador Brotons. Don’t miss this special opportunity to learn all about the history of the music that will follow!
All ticket holders will receive a secure email link in order to access the live stream performances.
Our tech support team will be on standby to assist you if you have any issues logging in during the performances.
Tickets
- Available below or by calling (360) 735-7278
- All current season ticket holders will receive a secure email link in order to access live-stream of the performances
- Single tickets to view the live-stream are on sale now. A secure individualized email link will be emailed to each single ticket buyer.
- Our tech support team will be on standby to assist you if you have any issues logging in during the performances.
How to View the Concert
Viewing the online concert is very easy.
- Purchase tickets to receive link to secure online concert page and password.
- When it is time for the concert login to the live streaming event page and view the concert from anywhere with a computer and an internet connection.
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Da Capo
Hosted by Greg Scholl and Ashley Johnson, this exciting pre-show will broadcast on the VSO concert live stream 30 minutes before the concert performance. Full of fascinating information about the repertoire and plenty of laughs, you won’t want to miss it!
Ashley Johnson
Ashley Johnson has been with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra since October of 2019. Since December of 2019 she has been the host and producer of The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Podcast, interviewing prominent VSO figures and guests as well as sharing past VSO performances in the special series VSO Encore. Ashley graduated from Western Washington University in 2013 with a degree in English Literature, and has been active in the Vancouver arts community for over 15 years. She was formerly the music director for the Young Slocum House Players in 2011, and was on the Board of Pacific Stageworks Theater Company from 2019-2023.
Outside of saying flowery things about recordings of classical music Ashley co-hosts a film podcast, produces independent films, and spends time with her daughter Imogen and her husband Will (the superhero who keeps Skyview Concert Hall running).
Greg Scholl
Greg Scholl has played trombone in the VSO since 1993 - he became principal trombone in 1995. He is also principal trombone in the Portland Columbia Symphony and the Newport Symphony. Greg also plays locally in the Portland Brass Quintet and the Portland Festival Symphony. He has performed with the Oregon Ballet Theater, the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Opera, the Salem Chamber Orchestra, the Portland Chamber Orchestra, the Portland Symphonic Choir, the Willamette Master Chorus, and the Portland Gay Men's Chorus. He has performed with the Oregon Repertory Singers and the Portland Symphonic Choir. Greg was formerly second trombone in the Austin Lyric Opera.
Greg is the trombone and low brass instructor at Pacific University. He obtained a trombone performance degree at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied with Donald Knaub. Prior to that he studied with Peter Kline and David Brown in San Antonio, TX. Greg plays in the Portland modern jazz duo Dos Hermanos de Hale Bopp. He also plays guitar and trombone in a variety of styles with local bands and performers such as the Rhythm Dogs, Goombahttsi, and Elvis Presley Tribute Artist Justin Shandor.
After rejecting the millions of dollars people offered him to play the trombone, Greg obtained a law degree in 1995 from Lewis & Clark Northwestern School of Law. During most business days he can be found practicing law as the director of the capital case team at the Metropolitan Public Defender. He enjoys spending time with his family and dogs, reading, camping and hiking, collecting things like Conan the Barbarian comic books, LP records, and concert recordings of the Grateful Dead, and being married to incredible principal bassoonist Margaret McShea. Their son Ben is now in college - he was practically raised at VSO rehearsals back in the day.