Unitarian Universalist Community Church
69 Winthrop Street,
Augusta, Maine 04330
Creating Community Together
UUCC Augusta Community Concert Series
Tuesday, April 22, 2025 7:00pm
This is the inaugural concert re-launching this series which went into hiatus during the pandemic. I have chosen repertoire to demonstrate the versatility of chamber music across many styles, including a major work that just might be receiving its Augusta premiere!
~ Michael P. Atkinson
Here are some details about the concert and the performers:
Michael P. Atkinson has distinguished himself in the music world as an instrumentalist, conductor, composer, arranger/orchestrator, producer, and administrator.
Michael’s diverse credits and collaborations include: Sufjan Stevens, Justin Peck, William Kentridge, the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, International Contemporary Ensemble, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Royal Swedish Opera, La Monnaie De Munt, Netherlands Philharmonic, Brussels Philharmonic, Craig Taborn, Jakob Brø, among many others.
Michael is Associate Conductor, Hornist, and Trustee Emeritus of the NYC-based chamber orchestra The Knights, of which he is a founding member for 19 years. He has appeared on the podium in concerts featuring 5 world premiere works by BalletCollective, a side-by-side concert with students from Chamber Music Center NYC, at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, with Natalie Merchant at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, and at Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood Music Center. He will conduct The Knights at Carnegie Hall in May 2025 featuring the music of Reena Esmail. Michael has also appeared as guest conductor of New York City Ballet, the Orlando Philharmonic, on numerous commercial recording sessions, and as the regular conductor for Works & Process at the Guggenheim for the annual presentation of Peter and the Wolf/Third Bird featuring Issac Mizrahi, Ensemble Connect, and Dance Heginbotham.
With composer Mikael Karlsson, Michael co-composed a new score for Coppèlia, choreographed and directed by Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple for Scottish Ballet, which premiered to wide critical acclaim at the 2022 Edinburgh International Festival, and subsequently premiered in London at Sadler’s Wells in March 2023. Coppèlia will tour with Scottish Ballet to Türkiye in the Fall of 2025.
Atkinson and Karlsson have recently finished an evening-length ballet for Scottish Ballet, in collaboration with choreographer Sophie Laplane and director James Bonas. Mary, Queen of Scots will premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2025.
Michael holds a B.M. and M.M. from The Juilliard School. You can learn more about him at: https://michael-p-atkinson.com/
Lindsey Wiehl is a songwriter, performer, and music scholar. She believes that the brainy and complex side of music can and should co-exist with the enjoyable and fun side of music, and works to spread her love for music as a music creator and music professor. Lindsey Wiehl teaches woodwinds, music theory, music production, and composition at The University of Maine at Augusta, and had formerly taught courses at Valley City State University and Indiana University Kokomo.
Dr. Wiehl holds several degrees in music including a bachelors in music education, an M.M. and a D.A. in Bassoon Performance from Ball State University, and a Professional Certificate in Advanced Music Production from Berklee Online. Among her favorite performance experiences include performing with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, National Music Festival, Bay View Music Festival, and the Arizona Opera. She performs and has her compositions performed at national and international conferences including the International Double Reed Society, the Meg Quigley Vivaldi Bassoon Symposium, and the National Flute Association.
She also has several active commissions for compositions and is actively writing and producing songs for her electro-synth popular music band, Lab Brats. Lindsey encourages others to unapologetically pursue their interests while ignoring stereotypes and preconceived notions of what it means to be a musician. Her research includes digging into musical analysis, composition, and creating opportunities to bring typical classical instruments into varying genres. You can learn more about her art at www.lindseywiehl.com.
Morgan Lee has built a dynamic career as a collaborator, soloist, and teacher. She frequently performs with some of the most prominent ensembles and performing arts organizations in the state of Maine, including the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Opera Maine, Classical Uprising, the Colby Symphony Orchestra, and the Amethyst Chamber Ensemble. She has performed and competed in numerous music festivals in the US and abroad and has given recitals in New York City, Italy, Spain, and France. An experienced collaborator, Dr. Lee is currently a collaborative pianist for the Colby College Music Department and the Augusta Unitarian Universalist Community Church Choir. She has previously served as staff collaborative pianist for the University of Southern Maine Osher School of Music and the University of Connecticut Music Department.
In addition to being an active performer, Dr. Lee is a teacher with over ten years of experience instructing piano. She currently works with over thirty students as an applied piano instructor for the Colby College Music Department and a member of piano faculty at Bay Chamber Music School. She has previously taught at institutions such as Eastern Connecticut State University, the University of Connecticut, the Bronx Conservatory of Music, and Mannes College of Music.
In 2022, Dr. Lee received her Doctor of Musical Arts in piano performance from the University of Connecticut, where she studied with Angelina Gadeliya. She also holds a Master of Music from Mannes College of Music and a Bachelor of Arts from Brown University. Dr. Lee wrote her dissertation on interdisciplinary collaboration as creative practice for classical musicians and is passionate about finding new, unconventional ways to engage with classical repertoire. She is committed to continuing this work to connect with new audiences here in Maine. You can learn more about her work at morganleepianist.com.
Native to Tokyo Japan, Ryu Mitsuhashi is an honorary Mainer violinist/fiddler/violist who crosses genres from classical to Jazz to heavy metal to folk music. She began studying the violin at age 3 and later moved to New York and was accepted at age 10 into the pre-college division of The Juilliard School. She then went on to receive a bachelor’s degree with a minor in Jazz and master’s degree from University of Maine. Ryu is a concert master of Augusta Symphony Orchestra, a member of Bangor Symphony Orchestra, serves as a substitute musician with the Portland Symphony Orchestra, and a collaborator with Shelter Music Maine.
Outside of classical music, Ryu is a fiddle player for the folk fusion band Tough End String Band as well as a classical meets folk duo Ryu & Tom, and plays in pit orchestras for musicals all over the east coast including MSMT (ME) and Fulton Theatre (PA). Ryu is no stranger to international performances as well. She periodically returns to Japan for performances and has traveled to perform and tour with international orchestras and concert tour groups, including
Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra (Croatia), Camerata Austriaca (Austria), Orchestra for the Festival Vaniloquio (Mexico), and Mainely Baroque (US/Italy). In addition to performing, she is a faculty member of Chamber Music Institute, a summer music program for all ages, and teaches the next generation violinists/violists at her private studio. When Ryu is not playing or teaching, you will likely find her hiking to the top of mountains.
PROGRAM NOTES
April 22nd Concert
(by Michael P. Atkinson)
CHAMBER MUSIC
What is chamber music? Typically, instrumental classical music for small groups (as few as 3, up to 8-10) with one player per part, and no conductor, which encourages close interaction among musicians. Chamber musicians have to know their parts really, really well, and can only rely on each other for the rhythm, pitch, and sound, and must come to a consensus about the many details of style and interpretation through many hours of rehearsal.
The term “chamber music” originated in the Renaissance and Baroque periods, referring to music composed for performance in more intimate, private settings—chambers or rooms of aristocratic homes—rather than in large public venues like churches or concert halls. Over time, especially during the Classical period, the genre became more refined and artistically significant, with composers like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven elevating it into a major form of musical expression.
Chamber music is quite stylistically diverse, and includes original music and a rich tradition of arranging - offering new perspectives on works to fit the instrumentation and personalities of each group. Tonight’s concert has both arrangements and an original work, and you’ll hear how each has its own character.
The music we will hear comes from the Romantic period, and the 20th century.
Here Comes The Sun - George Harrison, arr. Brad Baillett
Written in early 1969, “Here Comes the Sun” is one of George Harrison’s most beloved contributions to The Beatles’ catalog and a highlight of their final studio album, Abbey Road. Harrison composed the song during a moment of respite from the pressures of the music industry, while visiting his friend Eric Clapton’s garden. That sense of relief and renewal is embedded in every bar of the music—from the lilting acoustic guitar riff that opens the song to the gentle optimism of the lyrics. Against the backdrop of a band grappling with internal tensions, “Here Comes the Sun” radiates a disarming simplicity and warmth, offering a musical breath of fresh air.
Musically, the song is both accessible and subtly sophisticated. Harrison employs shifting time signatures and unexpected harmonic turns that lend the song a sense of organic flow and lightness. Its instrumentation is spare yet vibrant, featuring Moog synthesizer lines and layered acoustic textures that complement the song’s theme of seasonal and emotional rebirth. Over the decades, “Here Comes the Sun” has become an anthem of hope and resilience, a reminder that even after long periods of darkness—literal or metaphorical—the light always returns. It remains a timeless testament to Harrison’s gentle spirit and musical grace.
Summertime - George Gershwin, arr. Emily Gelineau
“Summertime,” composed by George Gershwin in 1934 for his opera Porgy and Bess, is one of the most iconic and frequently performed songs of the 20th century. Blending elements of African American spirituals, blues, and classical art song, Gershwin crafted a lullaby that feels at once timeless and deeply rooted in American musical traditions. Set to evocative lyrics by DuBose Heyward, the piece opens the opera with a haunting melody that conveys both warmth and melancholy. Though deceptively simple in its construction, “Summertime” has inspired countless interpretations across genres—from jazz and soul to rock and opera—testament to its enduring emotional power and musical adaptability. Its gentle, flowing lines and lush harmonies capture a dreamlike sense of longing and lull, making it a poignant and memorable introduction to Porgy and Bess's world.
Nocturne in Eb (Op. 9 No. 3) - Frederic Chopin, arr. Wilders/Baillett
Composed between 1830 and 1831, Chopin’s Nocturne in B major, Op. 9 No. 3 is the final piece in his first published set of nocturnes, dedicated to Madame Camille Pleyel, a prominent Parisian pianist and patron. Though still a young man in his early twenties, Chopin had already begun to develop a distinct musical voice, blending bel canto lyricism with a refined and innovative approach to piano writing. This nocturne showcases those qualities in full: an elegant, singing melody unfolds over a gently undulating accompaniment, evoking both intimacy and quiet sophistication. The piece offers more emotional restraint than the stormier works that would follow, yet it remains rich in nuance, with subtle harmonic shifts and expressive ornaments that reveal Chopin’s keen sensitivity to color and line.
Structurally, the nocturne departs from the more straightforward ternary (ABA) form of its predecessors. Its flowing, almost improvisatory nature feels less bound by form and more like a quiet, unfolding soliloquy. The middle section introduces a brief but poignant contrast in tonality and mood, before returning to the serene world of the opening. Throughout, Chopin’s writing demands not only technical finesse but a deep sense of poetic timing, as the rubato and phrasing are integral to the nocturne’s emotional impact. While perhaps less frequently performed than its more famous siblings in the set, Op. 9 No. 3 offers a glimpse of Chopin’s evolving artistry—introspective, graceful, and deeply expressive.
Trio for Horn, Violin, and Piano in Eb Op. 40 - Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms composed his Trio for Horn, Violin, and Piano in E-flat major, Op. 40, during the summer of 1865, shortly after the death of his mother—a loss that deeply affected him. Rather than following the standard ensemble format of the time, Brahms chose the natural horn (as opposed to the valved horn) for its warmer, more nostalgic tone, lending the piece a unique character that reflects both intimacy and introspection.
The four-movement structure balances lyricism and vigor, opening with a spacious Andante that evokes a sense of pastoral calm. The Scherzo bursts forth with rhythmic vitality, contrasted by a hauntingly expressive Adagio, widely interpreted as a musical elegy for Brahms’ mother. The finale returns to a more affirmative mood, drawing on folk-like themes and culminating in a triumphant close. Throughout the work, Brahms explores a remarkable blend of timbral colors and textures, showcasing the horn, violin, and piano in equal measure while weaving them into a unified expressive voice to make a poignant and powerful statement of mourning, memory, and eventual renewal.
At its premiere in Karlsruhe, Germany in 1865, the trio was met with warm appreciation, though its unconventional instrumentation puzzled some listeners. The use of the natural horn—an instrument already considered somewhat old-fashioned—was both a bold and nostalgic gesture. Clara Schumann, a close friend and confidante of Brahms, admired the work's heartfelt expression, writing that it possessed “a freshness and originality such as I have hardly ever known before.” Later critics would come to value the piece for its introspective depth and structural mastery. Musicologist Donald Francis Tovey praised the trio for its “autumnal poetry,” noting how Brahms “has written not merely for three instruments, but for three individuals.” Over time, Op. 40 has secured its place as one of Brahms’ most cherished chamber works, celebrated for both its emotional sincerity and its rich, innovative sonorities.