Chandor Gardens Foundation News

An exploration into the music that has defined the soundtrack for countless Western films over the past 100 years!

Chandor Gardens Foundation was pleased to offer another instalment in the ongoing Wine & Words Speaker Series, with Dr. Paul Cortese, Assistant Director for Operations in the TCU School of Music who presented "Big Sky Music! - The Western Film Score" at Chandor Gardens on Saturday, May 18, 2024

Cowboys, Indians, gunfights, and adventures on the frontier have all been represented by various musical treatments. Dr Cortese highlighted the composers who developed the ‘horse opera’ score, while examining the musical language and devices used to transport the audience to another time and place—the American Old West.

The film score creates a film's emotion and mood for each scene. Western movies have not only masterfully used music to communicate emotions and mood to the audience, but to also influence the emotions and moods of the audience. Dr Cortese shared music and film clips from well-known Western movies showing how the film score plays such an integral role to the overall audience experience.

The presentation started at 7:00 P.M. (doors opened at 6:30 P.M.)

Tickets: $30 (included wine & beer)

Dr Paul Cortese

Dr. Paul Cortese is the Assistant Director for Operations in the TCU School of Music. He manages organizational and promotional projects including the performance hall box office, website updates, YouTube video channel, jury examination system, print advertising, event project management and general facility services. Dr. Cortese is the Director of TCU’s Summer Music Institute, which offers instrumental workshops and music camps to middle and high school students across north Texas.

Dr. Cortese is an instructor, who developed and teaches Survey of Film Music to non-majors for Fine Arts credit. He oversees and programs the School of Music’s Recital Hour class, which features student performances and guest lecture presentations. Dr. Cortese’s research interests include teaching artistry for social change and musical performance practice in the variety theatre (vaudeville) and early silent film era.

As a classically trained guitarist, Cortese has performed both acoustic fingerstyle repertoire and electric contemporary music styles. He has taught a wide range of guitar students from young beginners, to college students and advanced adult players. Dr. Cortese holds degrees from Syracuse University (B.M.), New England Conservatory (M.M.) and Texas Christian University (Ed.D.).

Chandor Gardens Foundation was pleased to partner with Theater Off The Square to bring William Shakespeare's play "The Merry Wives of Windsor" for 3 performances over 2 days:
      * Friday, April 19 @ 7:00 P.M. (door opened at 6:30 P.M.) @ The Courtyard, Chandor Gardens

Due to significant rain Saturday's performances had to be moved indoors to the Great Hall of Grace Presbyterian Church, 606 Mockingbird Lane, Weatherford.
      * Saturday, April 20 @ 3:00 P.M. (door opened at 2:30 P.M) 
      * Saturday, April 20 @ 7:00 P.M. (door opened at 6:30 P.M.)

This is Shakespeare's merry comedy of marriage, wealth, jealousy, and lies: Sir John Falstaff plans to hustle his way to comfortable retirement by seducing the wives of two wealthy men. But it’s the women of Windsor who pull the strings in this story...

Tickets:
Adults - $10
Children 12 and under - $5

Tickets were available by pre-purchased online with a credit card or purchased with cash at the door just prior to each performance.

Guests where advised:

- Bring your own folding chair or blanket to sit on in the outdoor courtyard where the play is being performed. 
- Outside food and non-alcoholic drinks are allowed to be brought in. (No food or drinks will be available for purchase on site)
- No pets (service dogs are allowed)

Chandor Gardens Foundation was thrilled to have Opus Nova Chamber Music Series return for the third time to Chandor Gardens in Weatherford, TX with “Stellar Sounds”. A program celebrating the beauty of nature just two days before the Solar Eclipse. 

The concert took place in the Great Room at Chandor Gardens on April 6th at 7 PM (doors opened at 6:30 PM), featuring Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra principal bassoonist Joshua Elmore, Opus Nova directors Stas Chernyshev and Ann Hung on clarinets, and a special guest artist, Alexander Timofeev. Mr. Timofeev is an award-winning, Philadelphia-based composer and pianist, who joined with Opus Nova specifically for this One Night Only concert. 

This sold out concert featured carefully curated chamber music, which explored the wonders of nature with Debussy’s Clair de Lune, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Piazzolla’s Seasons, and many more, and featured the newly purchased, rare 1979 Steinway & Sons Chippendale piano at Chandor Gardens. 

Attendees enjoyed light appetizers and a selection of beverages, sponsored by Barbara & Stephen Zeman. A huge "Thank you so much" to the Zeman's for co-hosting this event with us by sponsoring the food and beverages.

Artists: 
Alexander Timofeev, piano/composer 
Joshua Elmore, bassoon 
Stas Chernyshev, clarinet
Ann Hung, clarinet 

Program: 
- Claude Debussy: Clair de lune for Piano Solo
- Alexander Timofeev: Two Forest Melodies for Piano Solo
- Alexander Timofeev: Nocturne for Clarinet and Piano 
- Alexander Timofeev: Joc De Noroc for Clarinet and Piano 
- Astor Piazzolla: Spring in Buenos Aires for Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano 
- Astor Piazzolla: Autumn in Buenos Aires for Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano 
** Intermission ** 
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 “Moonlight Sonata”, 1st movement 
- Felix Mendelssohn: Concert Piece No. 2 in D minor, Op. 114 for Two Clarinets and Piano
- Mikhail Glinka: Trio Pathetique for Clarinet, Bassoon and Piano 

 Artist Bios:

Alexander Timofeev

Alexander Timofeev debuted as a pianist and composer at 19, performing his Piano Concerto (2003) with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Moldova. He won First Prizes at Niš International Piano Competition, Serbia (2006) and the Margaret Guthman Piano Competition, Atlanta (2006), and received Third Prize at the 2007 MTNA Young Artist Piano Competition (Toronto).  

As a composer, his accolades include the Audience Choice Award and Commission at the American Composers Orchestra's 2017 Underwood New Music Readings; he is the finalist of the 2021 Organ Taurida International Composition Competition, and 2018 International Competition of the Moscow Conservatory for Young Composers ‘New Classics’ (Russia); winner of the 2016 Richard Weerts Composition Competition (USA); finalist of the 2016 Thailand International Composition Festival Competition; and Commissioned Composer for the 2019 NJMTA conference.

His compositions have been broadcast on WQXR, Pro TV (Romania) and Tele-Radio Moldova. Alexander Timofeev completed his doctoral studies in piano performance at the University of Maryland, College Park (2012). He holds a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music (2008) and B.M. degree from Rowan University (2006). His teachers included Veda Zuponcic, Douglas Humpherys, Larissa Dedova, Zlata Tkach, Lawrence Moss, Harold Oliver, Victor Levinzon, Aliona Vardanean, and Mikhail Sechkin. Dr. Timofeev is currently Artist-in-Residence and 3/4-time faculty at Rowan University.

Joshua Elmore

Joshua Elmore is the principal bassoonist of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. Joshua has performed with many orchestras around the World including The Chineke! Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Charleston Symphony, and performed a side-by-side collaboration at Carnegie Hall with The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Before joining the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Joshua completed his professional studies certificate at the Colburn School in Los Angeles as a student of Richard Beene. Joshua was a Kovner Fellow graduate of The Juilliard School where he studied under Judith LeClair and appeared often as principal bassoon of The Juilliard Orchestra.  Joshua has been a member of The New York String Orchestra Seminar and was a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Music Academy of the West, and the National Orchestra Institute where he recorded a Grammy-nominated orchestral album with NAXOS.

Originally from Cleveland, Joshua began his official bassoon studies with Mark DeMio before joining the Young Artist Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Barrick Stees. During his high school years, Joshua was principal bassoonist of the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony and was a member of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra, and regularly rehearsed and performed in Severance Hall. Joshua was a member of Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the USA (NYO-USA) where he toured China and Europe with Charles Dutoit, Valery Gergiev, and Christoph Eschenbach. Joshua has also performed on NPR’s From The Top and was selected to receive the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. In 2022, Joshua served as the Principal Bassoon for the Gateways Music Festival for their Carnegie Hall debut as the first All-African American Orchestra to perform at the Hall.

Stas Chernyshev

Stas Chernyshev is an "eloquent" clarinetist with "incredible artistry” Russian-born Stas Chernyshev has established a versatile career as an orchestral musician, soloist, chamber musician, and educator (Dallas Morning News, Theater Jones).

Principal clarinetist of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Chernyshev has performed at such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall in New York, Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as in Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Russia, South Korea and Japan.

A devoted chamber musician, Mr. Chernyshev has collaborated with Grammy-winning ensembles Eighth Blackbird and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, commissioned new works for his instrument. He has been featured on WQXR -New York’s classical music station and WHYY’s television program - On Stage at Curtis.

He is the founder and artistic director of Fort Worth Performances for Autism, and a co- founder of Opus Nova Chamber Music Series. Mr. Chernyshev holds a Bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music, and a Master’s degree from St. Petersburg Conservatory. 

Ann Hung

Ann Hung, born in Taipei, Taiwan, began her musical studies at a young age, starting with piano at age five and clarinet at age nine.

Dr. Hung is an active performer in the Dallas and Fort Worth area who regularly performs in the realms of both the orchestral and chamber music. She has shared the stage with the Fort Worth Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the members of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the faculty of the Juilliard School.

Dr. Hung is always pushing the boundaries of her repertoire and skills, such as collaborating with jazz musicians and commissioning new composers. As a proponent of new music, she has avidly commissioned new works including a wind quintet with her quintet Opus Now premiering in Symphony Space in NYC. One of the new works that Dr. Hung commissioned is included in a recently released album “Stained Glass Story” by Eldad Tarmu.

Dr. Hung is currently teaching in Lewisville ISD, Birdville ISD as private lesson instructor and often plays with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra. She is a board member of the Fort Worth Youth Orchestra, the associate director of the Fort Worth Performances for Autism and co-founder of Opus Nova Chamber Music Series.