Sunday, August 24th
Beethoven Symphony No. 7
Christ the King Lutheran Church
5:00 to 6:30pm
Join us for an evocative evening of orchestral storytelling featuring Barber’s nostalgic Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Beethoven’s electrifying Symphony No. 7. Barber’s lyrical setting captures the innocence and wonder of childhood on a summer evening, while Beethoven’s rhythmic masterpiece pulses with dance-like energy from start to finish. Experience these two powerful works up close—and hear them like never before!
Program:
John Corigliano: Elegy
Samuel Barber: Knoxville, Summer of 1915
Intermission
Beethoven Symphony No. 7 in A major
Tickets Available Here
Watch us in action!
The Great Falls Philharmonic performed Dvořák’s marvelous Eighth Symphony on August 25, 2024. Click below to see an excerpt from the first movement.
Meet the Artists
Derek Maseloff is the founder and Artistic Director of the Great Falls Philharmonic.
His musical journey began on the organ bench at age 8, studying with Martha Fisher at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Quakertown, PA.
Derek earned a degree from Cornell University in China and Asian-Pacific Studies and authored a thesis on the history of classical music in the cultural relationship between the United States and China. After graduating from Cornell, he was accepted into the prestigious woodwind quintet fellowship program at the University of Maryland, studying with Gregory Miller and Phil Munds while completing a Master of Music in Horn Performance.
He is a core member and composer of Classically Dope, an innovative fusion group of classical music and hip-hop featuring Konshens theMC. Derek’s compositions have been performed at The Anthem alongside the NSO, the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage, and recently live on the airwaves at Texas Public Radio in San Antonio. He received a commission from the University of Maryland Wind Orchestra to compose a brand new work for rapper and wind orchestra titled “Dreams”, which premiered in 2022.
From 2019-2022 he was Director of Artistic Planning for the National Youth Orchestra of China, organizing and leading international tours in the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, and China.
Derek is currently Director of Music at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Great Falls, VA where he leads worship from the piano/organ bench and directs the choir. He lives in Greenbelt, MD with his wife Katie and his cats Lily and Liza.
Japanese-American violinist Ryo Usami is a member of "The President's Own" US Marine Band in Washington DC where he performs regularly at the White House, and is also the principal second violin of the Santa Barbara Symphony in California. Ryo has also performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Studio Orchestra, Boston Pops Orchestra, Boston Lyric Opera, Charleston Symphony, and Harrisburg Symphony.
As a violinist and violist, Ryo has performed alongside members of the Brentano Quartet, Meliora Quartet, Orion Quartet, National Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic, and has appeared in masterclasses led by the Gil Shaham, Johnny Gandelsman, Rainer Kuchl, Gordon Nikolic, Stephan Picard, and the Dover, Juilliard, Borromeo, and Ying Quartets.
During the summers, Ryo has participated as a violinist in the Colorado Music Festival, Orchestra of the Americas, Dali Quartet International Music Festival, Festival Napa Valley, Pacific Music Festival, and Aurora Chamber Music Festival in Sweden. As an instructor, he taught at the Chamber Music Institute in Maine from 2008 to 2016 and joined their Japan Tour in 2018. In 2022, Ryo will join the faculty of "Quartet Intensive" in Sofia, Bulgaria, as well as the Varna International Music Academy in Myrtle Beach, SC.
Ryo received a Master of Music degree from the New England Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory where he was a member of the honors string quartet. Notable instructors and mentors include Ayano Ninomiya, Violaine Melancon, Simeon Simeonov, and Akiko Hirose Silver. Ryo is an avid supporter of contemporary instrument making and proudly performs on a violin made by Gabrielle Kundert and a bow made by Benoit Rolland.