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Program Note.
flower catalog | solo piano | op. 39
hydrangea commissioned by susie maddocks
Flower Catalog is a set of 12 preludes for piano, each commissioned by a different piano soloist about her own favorite flower. The entire collection can live and breath as a full concert set but each prelude will also be utilized as a uniquely personal encore. Flower Catalog is a commission by Lise de la Salle, Marianne Parker, Diane Katzenberg Braun, Eunbi Kim, Holly Roadfeldt, Adrienne Park, Susie Maddocks, Sarah Bob, Marta Aznavoorian, Jenny Lin, and Lucille Chung.
When Susie told me about her deep love for hydrangeas and their importance in her family, I knew we had something really special on our hands. Hydrangea tells a little bit about the transparent and beautiful way Susie lives her life, and attempts to capture the gorgeous, pale, dark shades of color that these flowers are often found in and the gravitas they carry with them in meaning for both Susie and myself.
In Susie’s words: “Thinking of my ancestors, particularly my Popo (Grandmother) who was essentially royalty in China before the depression and moved to Seattle after an arranged marriage during the depression. She learned how to be grateful with little and how to start over a whole new life style. She poured herself into her community, with her regular restaurant customers referring to her as “Mom”. Dorothy Chun (my Popo) was included among several of the first Chinese ancestors to settle in Seattle.
I think of my own parents and how I have learned what it is to be grateful with what we are given, and to always strive for excellence in all that I do, giving God nothing short of my heart and soul.
When I think of the characteristics of a hydrangea, I immediately recall gorgeous, romantic palettes, stunning and showstopping beauty for the garden, and heart-felt emotion for the appreciative gazer. With its asian influence, I am even more deeply moved by the allure of its form and function. It thrills me to think of the broad spectrum of colors Stephanie can compose with this dual imagery of hydrangea and reminiscence of one’s past.”
susie maddocks, piano
Pianist Susie Maddocks has traveled a rich and diverse path as a collaborator, soloist, band member and songwriter. She has had the privilege of working with brilliant piano artists such as Menahem Pressler, Nelita True, Stephen Pierce, Jerry Wong, and James Barbagallo. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where she completed her degree in piano performance, Susie studied under the tutelage of Anton Nel, Jeffrey Kahane, David Burge and Lucille Straub. She has received many Southern California Piano Guild awards, being immersed in the California world of music with Bach Festivals and Southwestern Youth Music Festivals. The fourth child in a musical family, Susie quickly took to the piano as her “voice” while her 3 siblings perfected the violin and cello. This made for a wonderful life of music-making, as Susie pursued ways to collaborate in any and every kind of forum.
Since 1999, Susie has worked as a collaborative pianist in Northern Colorado with many renowned artists, including Jim Walker, Carol Wincenc, Conor Nelson, Philip Dikeman, Christina Webster, Nicole Esposito, Erin Murphy, Timothy Hagen, Krzystof Kaczka, Catherine Ransom Karoly, Kerry DuWors, Stephanie Ann Boyd, Jennifer Koh, Robert Maine, Kathy Winkler and Tim Pitts.
Throughout her life, Susie discovered the wonder of making music with others, whether it be with a fellow pianist, violinist or flutist. Performing with her past duo partners, violinist James Anderson, pianist Judy Lin, and international soloist Dr. Jerry Wong, Ms. Maddocks quickly developed her passion for creating that spark that only comes with a partner. Susie has immensely enjoyed her musical journey with flutist James Hall as Duo970, and looks forward to many more seasons of artistry and enthusiasm.
Charlie maddocks, videography
Charlie Maddocks is a member of alt-rock band “Holdfast”, formed in Windsor, CO in 2011. Consisting of brothers Tommy and Mikey, and their cousin Charlie Maddocks, the band has captured the hearts and minds of fans across northern Colorado. The trio’s early years were spent refining their live show, honing their songwriting sensitivities, and building a regional fan base as they performed across northern Colorado venues and festivals.
Their single “Time”, released in December 2019, was met with immediate enthusiasm from Denver alt-rock fans. After extensive airplay, the single landed the band in KTCL 93.3’s “Hometown For The Holidays” show where they won “Crowd Favorite” for their energetic signature live show. The song also earned Holdfast. a performance on the Yamaha Stage at NAMM 2020, allowing the band to tour southern California for a second time in January 2020.
Holdfast. recently signed a sync licensing agreement with eOne company Audio Network and are currently recording the project at The Blasting Room with longtime producer and collaborator Chris Beeble. The band released their debut album “Stay and Fight” on January 8th, and recently partnered with music company Assemble Sound.
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STEPHANIE ANN BOYD, COMPOSER
Michigan-born, Manhattan-based American composer Stephanie Ann Boyd (b. 1990) writes melodic music about women’s memoirs and the natural world for symphonic and chamber ensembles. Her work has been performed in nearly all 50 states and has been commissioned by musicians and organizations in 37 countries. Boyd’s five ballets include works choreographed by New York City Ballet principal dancers Lauren Lovette, Ashley Bouder, NYCB soloist Peter Walker, and XAOC Contemporary Ballet’s Eryn Renee Young. Eero, a ballet commissioned by Access Contemporary Music and Open House New York, was written for the grand opening of the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport. Her music has been praised as “attractive lyricism” (Gramophone), “[with] ethereal dissonances” (Boston Globe), “[music that] didn’t let itself be eclipsed” (Texas Classical Review), “arrestingly poetic” (BMOP), and “wide ranging, imaginative” (Portland Press Herald).
Boyd’s music has been commissioned and performed by concertmasters of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Singapore Symphony, the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the Des Moines Symphony, the Faroe Islands Symphony, the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Smith Symphony, the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra, and principal players in the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Her music has been commissioned and/or played by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the New England Conservatory Philharmonic, the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, the New York Jazzharmonic, the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, the Roosevelt University Orchestra, the Eureka Ensemble, the JVL Festival Orchestra, the Texas State University Symphony, the Cremona International Academy Orchestra, the UW La Crosse Symphony, the Detroit Civic Orchestra, and the El Paso Youth Symphony. Her work has been presented by the Thalia and her Sisters concert series, the Moirae Ensemble, and Sandcastle New Music in New York City; Æpex Contemporary Music in Michigan; Juventas New Music, Collage New Music, and the New Gallery Concert Series in Boston; Cincinnati Soundbox, and others. Stephanie has worked with conductors such as Andrew Litton, Lina Gonzales, Earl Lee, Nathan Aspinall, Cliff Colnot, Gill Rose, Julian Benichou, Kristo Kondakci, and Kevin Fitzgerald.
The 2020/2021 season includes commissions from the Wyoming Symphony, Astral Artists with cellist Tommy Mesa, violinist Megan Healy, pianists Lara Downes, Lise de la Salle, Marta Aznavoorian, Lucille Chung, Susie Maddocks, Adrienne Park, Diane Kaztenburg Braun and Music Street, Sarah Bob and the New Gallery Concert Series, Holly Roadfeldt, Marianne Parker, Eunbi Kim, the Kurganov-Finehouse Duo, and others. This season also includes performances by the Lincoln Trio, Juventas New Music, Jennifer Reason, Lisa Pegher, Shouthouse, Ayanna Witter-Johnson, including concerts at the Kaufman Center, the Boston New Music Festival, the Festival of New American Music, Pianoforte in Chicago, live on Chicago’s WFMT radio station, and elsewhere.
Stephanie holds degrees from Roosevelt University and New England Conservatory, and she was one of the last violin students of renowned pedagogue John Kendall.