A musical farewell
A musical farewell
This weekend, Chelsea Tipton II will bid Toledo adieu in fine style.
Since accepting the position of music director of the Symphony of Southeast Texas last year, the popular local maestro has been dividing his time between Beaumont, Texas, and Toledo — not to mention plenty of gigs in other cities.
“We had a really good first season,” Tipton, resident conductor for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra since 2003, said this week of his first year with the SOST, as the orchestra is called.
Tipton will conduct and perform in his farewell appearance, The Stars Align for the TSO, to begin at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Stranahan Theater.
Joining Tipton and the TSO on stage will be celebrated trumpeter and conductor Doc Severinsen. Another special guest will be violinist, composer, and, most recently, much-lauded violin pedagogue Mark O’Connor.
But wait, there’s more, much more.
Clarinetist David Shifrin will return to town to solo. He also is to join Tipton, also a fine, active clarinetist, in ensemble works by Felix Mendelssohn and Leroy Anderson.
To celebrate Tipton’s longstanding commitment to musical education, the Toledo Youth Orchestra will perform one of O’Connor’s new compositions, “Olympic Harvest,” as well as music by Shostakovich. Even the Toledo Youth Orchestra Sinfonietta will be on the program with music by Grieg.
We are not finished here.
As the ultimate finale of this special concert, an arrangement of the Finale to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 will involve all the above groups and soloists.
“It’s the version of Beethoven’s Ninth used to welcome [29-year-old Venezuelan maestro] Gustavo Dudamel to the Los Angeles Philharmonic last year,” explained Tipton.
Typically positive, energetic, and focused, Tipton, 45, was a bit bemused this week considering the logistics of what he calls “a lollapalooza” event.
“I don’t know how we’re going to get through rehearsal,” he said with a grin. Somehow, of course, everything will work out in its own way.
That’s one of the lessons Tipton says he learned during his Toledo tenure, notable for the volume of music he conducted in hundreds of concerts with symphony players.
“You have to prepare well before the concert,” he says, “but then you have to adjust to the circumstances. The only way to do it is just to get up and go.”
Not only was he conducting concerts during his years in Toledo, he was learning the ropes about running an orchestra — an endeavor that comprises artistic decision-making, personnel issues, fund-raising, working with boards and committees, short and long-range planning, audience development, and education.
“I’ve learned to work really hard here,” he says of his experiences with outgoing TSO president Bob Bell, principal conductor Stefan Sanderling, and other key staffers. “They’ve been wonderful to me,” said Tipton. “After being here seven years, I’m ready for the music director position. It’s a really good fit for me.”
Already, he has made his mark in Beaumont. In a letter to the TSO, Seth Crone, SOST board president, and executive director Craig Escamilla, expressed their enthusiasm about Tipton’s impact in his new position.
“As we begin a new chapter with Chelsea, and as a chapter with him ends for all of you, we want to express our excitement about his joining us in Beaumont. We know that the skills, determination, and work ethic Chelsea developed in Toledo will serve our orchestra well, and we look forward to that.”
As the TSO seeks a new resident conductor and enters the final planning stages for its Carnegie Hall debut in May, 2011, Tipton will continue to follow local developments. He hopes to attend the big New York City concert next year.
“This is a fabulous orchestra. This orchestra really plays its tuchas off,” he said.
The Sunday concert winds up a breathtaking weekend for Tipton. He will lead the TSO and choirs from Westgate Chapel in a praise concert at 7 p.m. tomorrow in the church, 2500 Wilford Drive.
And at 8 p.m. Saturday, he will conduct the final KeyBank Pops Concert, A Tribute to John Denver, with the symphony and guest vocalist Jim Curry, in the Stranahan Theater.
Tickets for the Sunday concert start at $25 and tickets for the KeyBank Pops concert start at $21 at toledosymphony.com or 419-246-8000.
Contact Sally Vallongo at: svallongo@theblade.com.