featuring Concerto Competition Winner: Taylor Daniels, flute
>> Intermission <<
Leise, leise, fromme Weise from Der Freischütz
by Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826)
featuring soloist- Sophia Orrico, Soprano
Ma mère de l’Oye (Mother Goose Suite)
by Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant. Lent
Petit Poucet
Laideronnette, Impératrice des pagodes
Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête
Le jardin féerique
Performers
The Purchase Symphony Orchestra:
The Purchase Symphony Orchestra is composed of the dedicated and talented students of the Conservatory of Music. Students rehearse six hours a week as a large group and spend additional time in studio classes and sectionals. The Orchestra is proud to present the works of classical composers from the Age of Enlightenment to the present day.
**Denotes Concertmaster
*Denotes Principal Players
(WCS) Denotes Westchester Chamber Soloist
Violin
Elsie Baldwin**
Lenin Villano
Belle Zhou
Carly Berndt
Sharon Gunderson
Ye-jin Han
Emma Johnson
Yang Sun Kim
Cecelia Martin
Christina Shari
Suzanne Wagor
Viola
Alexandra Mena-Jiménez*
Matthew Killen
Joyce Suarez
Mitsuru Kubo
Amy Selig
Cello
Aidan Saltini*
Scarlette Hashimoto*
Allison Smith*
Laura Mead
Anthony Pabellon
Bass
Alexander Kapopoulos*
Fabien DuChateau
John Schroeder
Piccolo
Honoko Saeki
Flute
Julius Lagoa-Iacono*
Stella Kahnis*
Gabriel Rosado-Bauza*
Honoko Saeki
Denilson Bowen
Oboe
Angelina D’Souza*
Hank McPhillips*
Joseph Sdao*
Saige Valentino
English Horn
Hank McPhillips
Clarinet
Alba Morales-Millan*
Zexuan Liu
Bass Clarinet
Jasper Biski
Bassoon
Yuki Higashi*
Liu Atao
Horn
Luis Montesdeoca*
Keegan McCardell*
Benjamin Hommowun*
Tressa Cortright
Trumpet
Benjamin Alarcon*
Phoenix Hernandez
Trombone
Ella Rubin
Tuba
Bradley Armand
Timpani
Christopher Atkins
Nicholas Esposito
Percussion
Krista DiMaggio
Christopher Atkins
Nicholas Esposito
Christian McCarthy
Christopher Robinson
Harp
Margery Fitts*
Gordon Connor
Celeste
Brody Ajemian
Orchestra Personnel
Alba Morales-Millan, PSO Manager
Angelina D’Souza, PSO Production Coordinator
Zexuan Liu, PSO Librarian
Program Notes
Symphony No. 1 in C Major
by Georges Bizet (1838–1875)
Composed in 1855 when Bizet was just seventeen and a student at the Paris Conservatoire, the Symphony in C Major remained unknown for more than eighty years after his death. It was rediscovered and first performed in 1935, astonishing audiences with its brilliance and maturity. Written under the strong influence of Gounod’s Symphony in D, the work nonetheless displays Bizet’s own melodic charm and vitality.
The first movement, Allegro vivo, opens with youthful exuberance and Mozartian clarity, brimming with buoyant themes and lively counterpoint. The Adagio offers one of Bizet’s most lyrical inspirations — a serene oboe melody unfolding over gentle strings, evoking warmth and grace. The Menuetto (Scherzo) sparkles with rhythmic wit and quick exchanges between sections, while the Finale, Allegro vivace, races to a jubilant close, confirming the young composer’s mastery of form and orchestral color.
Poem
by Charles Griffes (1884–1920)
featuring Concerto Competition Winner: Taylor Daniels, flute
Griffes, one of America’s most distinctive early 20th-century voices, drew upon Impressionist and Symbolist influences to create music of shimmering atmosphere and emotional intensity. His Poem for flute and orchestra, composed in 1918 for flutist Georges Barrère, is among his finest works.
Structured in a single continuous arc, the piece moves freely between rhapsodic lyricism and passionate surges. The flute’s opening phrase seems to rise out of mist, unfolding into cascading lines and haunting harmonies. At its climax, the soloist soars over luminous orchestral textures before the music subsides into a quiet, radiant close — a brief, transcendent dream.
Leise, leise, fromme Weise from Der Freischütz
by Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826)
featuring soloist- Sophia Orrico, Soprano
A pioneer of German Romantic opera, Weber shaped the path later followed by composers like Wagner. Der Freischütz (1821) — The Marksman — blends folklore, nature, and the supernatural into a work of both beauty and mystery.
Agathe’s aria “Leise, leise, fromme Weise” comes at a moment of prayerful reflection: she seeks divine protection for her beloved before his fateful contest. The music combines purity and emotional depth, its long-breathed melodies and rich orchestration capturing the sincerity and warmth of the Romantic spirit.
Ma mère de l’Oye (Mother Goose Suite)
by Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant – Petit Poucet – Laideronnette, Impératrice des pagodes – Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête – Le jardin féerique
Originally composed in 1910 as a piano duet for the children of Ravel’s friends, Ma mère l’Oye was later orchestrated into one of his most enchanting works. Each movement portrays a classic fairy tale through Ravel’s refined orchestral imagination — music that is delicate, poetic, and radiant in color.
Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant (Sleeping Beauty): A tender, slow dance enveloped in gentle strings and woodwinds, evoking the princess’s peaceful slumber.
Petit Poucet (Tom Thumb): Wandering flute and oboe lines trace the path of the lost boy, their hesitant steps mirrored in wistful harmonies.
Laideronnette, Impératrice des pagodes: Bright pentatonic colors and glittering percussion depict an oriental world of tiny porcelain figures and pagodas.
Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête (Conversations of Beauty and the Beast): A waltz of tender contrasts — the clarinet as Beauty and the contrabassoon as the Beast — transformed by a shimmering harp glissando into love’s redemption.
Le jardin féerique (The Fairy Garden): The suite closes in radiant splendor, as delicate motifs blossom into a grand, glowing finale — a vision of awakening and wonder.
Ravel’s music here reveals his affection for childhood innocence, his fascination with color and texture, and his unique ability to turn simplicity into timeless enchantment.
Performer Profiles
Mina KimA portrait of Mina Kim, Orchestra Director, with a baton.
Orchestra Director
Mina Kim, hailed as a “spirited conductor” by Brooklyn Discovery and praised for having “led the orchestra to such precision and clarity in performance” by The Overlook, is Music Director of the Purchase Symphony Orchestra and the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra. Recognized for her expressive interpretations and innovative programming, she is dedicated to expanding her orchestras’ artistic spectrum and strengthening their connection with both the campus and surrounding communities.
A versatile musician, Kim’s work spans symphonic, operatic, contemporary, and popular repertoire, with performances across the world. Her artistry has been recognized by leading musicians, including Joshua Bell, who invited her to rehearse and refine Thomas de Hartmann’s Violin Concerto, and Grammy-nominated Black Violin, whom she conducted in a symphonic collaboration at the Performing Arts Center. Recently, she was invited to conduct the Mannes Orchestra in two concerts in New York City. In Westchester, she led a landmark collaboration between the Purchase Symphony Orchestra and the Westchester Chamber Soloists, paving the way for an upcoming project: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 “Choral” with WCS, the New Choral Society, and the Purchase Chorus at the PAC in March 2026. On campus, she has also spearheaded visionary cross-genre projects, including a multimedia collaboration with Purchase College’s School of Film and Media Studies, integrating Philip Glass’s Glassworks with original films by students, and co-directing Purchase Soul Voices in PSO’s annual Black History Month Celebration.
Beyond the podium, Kim is an accomplished concert pianist, vocal coach, and chamber musician. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2007 and has since appeared as a soloist with major orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. She has also performed at leading international festivals, including the Vienna Music Seminar in Austria and the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in Maine, and has served on the faculty of opera programs such as Si Parla, Si Canta and Classic Lyric Arts in Italy and France.
Kim holds a B.M. from Busan National University, as well as an M.M. and Artist Diploma in Piano Performance from Purchase College. She continued her studies in Vocal Collaborative Piano and Orchestral Conducting through the Professional Studies Diploma program at Mannes School of Music, where she also served as Assistant Conductor of the Mannes American Contemporary Ensemble and The Mannes Opera.
Since 2006, Kim has been a faculty member at the Purchase College Conservatory of Music, where she currently serves as Chair of Classical Studies. Alongside her work on campus, she is deeply committed to sharing the power of orchestral music with wider audiences, building partnerships with local organizations, and mentoring musicians both in the college community and throughout the region.
Taylor Daniels, flute
Taylor Daniels is a flutist and artist based in Brooklyn. Originally from the quiet suburbs of South Carolina, Taylor moved to New York in 2021 to study flute performance at Purchase College under the instruction of Tara Helen O’Connor. At Purchase, she also studied privately with flutist Isabel Lepanto Gleicher, and jazz saxophonist Ralph Lalama before graduating in May of 2025.
Taylor’s artistic pursuit is rooted in her love of performing chamber music, specializing in 20th and 21th century repertoire. Outside of performance, Taylor works as a session musician for contemporary composers operating both in and outside of the classical medium. She has taught flute privately with aspiring classical flutists and jazz saxophone doublers. Taylor’s unique approach to flute study and performance takes inspiration from her passion for other art forms including visual art and design, and she spends much of her time developing and honing skills within a variety mediums and disciplines.
Sophia Orrico, soprano
Sophia Orrico is a soprano based in Houston, Texas and New York City, currently pursuing her Master of Music at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University under the tutelage of Nova Thomas. Sophia’s upcoming season includes Die Königin der Nacht from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte under the baton of Louis Lohraseb and director, R.B. Schlather. Prior to attending the SSM Sophia completed her Bachelor of Music at SUNY Purchase Conservatory where she performed many roles including: Poppea in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, Ophelia in Thomas’ Hamlet, Gretel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel, Königin der Nacht from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Barbarina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro. Ms. Orrico is honored and excited to return to SUNY Purchase to sing with the Purchase Symphony Orchestra.
About the Conservatory
The Conservatory of Music
Play a part in this extraordinarymusical community!
For the serious, developing musician, the Conservatory of Music in the School of the Arts at Purchase College offers a distinctive educational experience — an intensive education within the context of a lively supportive community.
Create, integrate, grow,explore, transform
Your artistry will thrive here among other remarkable musicians, all preparing for professional careers while focused on excellence.
Work closely with world-classmusicians and educators
Our proximity to New York City makes it possible for you to study with many of the most respected names in music today—and to benefit from their extensive professional experience as performers, composers, and producers. Through private lessons and small-group study, our faculty will guide and mentor you in your career choice. And because the Conservatory of Music limits its enrollment to only 400 students, including undergraduate and graduate candidates, you will receive personal attention and opportunities to perform and hear your music right from the start.
Classical, Jazz, Music and Technology
No matter what program you pursue in the Conservatory of Music, you will be encouraged to play music that spans all genres and to perform in ensembles of all sizes and styles. Let us prepare you to meet the challenges of the music world in the 21st century.
