This Year's
Festival Program
The 2022 Sunflower Music Festival will honor both past and contemporary African American composers, performers and soloists, and a collaboration with the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. Our project has won multiple endorsements and grants from the National Endowment of the Arts.
Browse our programming below to see all Sunflower will offer celebrating the African American musical experience:
- Performance of SYMPHONY NO. 1 “AFRO-AMERICAN” by William Grant Still
- Programs featuring the music of Jessie Montgomery, George Walker, Joseph Bologne – Chevalier de Saint-George, and more!
- A Jazz Night performance featuring native-Topekan Richetta Manager, Angela Hagenbach, and David Basse on vocals, with the City Light Jazz Orchestra
Friday, June 17
Chamber Orchestra
7:30 p.m. | Livestream or In-Person | White Concert Hall
special guest conductor - André Raphel
Così fan tutte, K.588: Overture
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756 – 1791)
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major, K.488
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro assai
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756 – 1791)
David Allen Wehr, Piano
Lyric for Strings
George Walker
(1922 – 2018)
Symphony No. 41 in C major, K.551 “Jupiter”
I. Allegro vivace
II. Andante cantabile
III. Allegretto
IV. Molto allegro
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756 – 1791)
Saturday, June 18
Chamber Ensembles
7:30 p.m. | Livestream or In-Person | White Concert Hall
Canção Pequena
World Premiere
Michael Cohen
Vocalise, Op. 34, No.14
Sergei Rachmaninoff
(1873 – 1943)
Adagio
Michael Amorosi
(1947 – 2000)
Alex Klein, Oboe
Rita Costanzi, Harp
Strum
Jessie Montgomery
b.1981
Meredith Riley, Violin I
Sascha Mandl, Violin II
Rafael Gargate, Viola
Jonathan Tortolano, Cello
Till Eulenspiegel
Richard Strauss
(1864 – 1949)
arr. Franz Hasenöhrl
Ole Bohn, Violin
Mark Kleine, Clarinet
Joe Merchant, Bassoon
Greg Miller, French Horn
Claudio Jaffe, Cello
Nic Tsolainos, Double Bass
Danzas di Panama
Tamborito
Mejorana y Socavon
Punto
Cumbia y Congo
William Grant Still
(1895 – 1978)
Jeanyi Kim, Violin I
Zsolt Eder, Violin II
Orlando Wells, Viola
Claudio Jaffe, Cello
Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 111
Largo
Allegro molto
Allegretto
Largo
Largo
Dmitri Shostakovich
(1906 – 1975)
Zhan Shu, Violin I
Philip Manning, Violin II
Jonathan Moerschel, Viola
Claudio Jaffe, Cello
Following Concert: Musician ‘Talk-Back’ Session
Monday, June 20
Mary Elizabeth 'Liz' Stratton Jazz Night
7:30 p.m. | Livestream or In-Person | White Concert Hall
Sponsored by: Liz Stratton
Hosted by: Topeka Jazz Workshop
Liz Stratton Jazz Night, Featuring Richetta Manager, Angela Hagenbach, and David Basse, vocals
with the City Light Jazz Orchestra
Tuesday, June 21
Chamber Ensembles
7:30 p.m. | Livestream or In-Person | White Concert Hall
String Quartet No. 6 in D major
I. Allegro Assai
II. Rondeau
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
(1745 – 1799)
Eric Tanner, Violin I
Philip Manning, Violin II
Orlando Wells, Viola
Jonathan Tortolano, Cello
Quintet in G minor, Op. 39
I. Tema con variazioni
II. Andante energico
III. Allegro sostenuto, ma con brio
IV. Adagio pesante
V. Allegro precipitato, ma non troppo presto
VI. Andantino
Sergei Prokofiev
(1891 – 1953)
Alex Klein, Oboe
Jonathan Gunn, Clarinet
Eric Tanner, Violin
Orlando Wells, Viola
Nic Tsolainos, Double Bass
String Quintet in G minor, K. 515
I. Allegro
II. Menuetto: Allegretto
III. Adagio ma non troppo
IV. Adagio – Allegro
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756 – 1791)
Jeanyi Kim, Violin I
Sascha Mandl, Violin II
Roger Myers, Viola I
Jonathan Moerschel, Viola II
Jonathan Tortolano, Cello
Following Concert: Musician ‘Talk-Back’ Session
Wednesday, June 22
Chamber Orchestra
7:30 p.m. | Livestream or In-Person | White Concert Hall
Special Guest Conductor - ANDRÉ RAPHEL
Three Spirituals for Orchestra
Adolphus Hailstork
b.1941
Antifonys for Chamber Orchestra
George Walker
(1922 – 2018)
Elegy for Viola, String Quartet and String Orchestra, op. 15
Herbert Howells
(1892 – 1983)
Basil Vendryes, Viola
Starburst
Jessie Montgomery
b.1981
Symphony No. 1 “Afro-American”
I. Longing: Moderato assai
II. Sorrow: Adagio
III. Humor: Animato
IV. Aspiration: lento; con risoluzione
William Grant Still
(1895 – 1978)
Thursday, June 23
CONcertmaster and Friends
7:30 p.m. | Livestream or In-Person | White Concert Hall
Blue/s Forms for Solo Violin
I. Plain Blue/s
II. Just Blue/s
III. Jettin’ Blue/s
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
(1875 – 1912)
Jesse Thompson, Violin
Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, Op. 32
I. Allegro moderato
II. Scherzo: Allegro molto
III. Elegia: Adagio
IV. Finale: Allegro non troppo
Anton Arensky
(1861 – 1906)
David Allen Wehr, Piano
Charles Stegeman, Violin
John Walz, Cello
Friday, June 24
Chamber Ensembles
7:30 p.m. | Livestream or In-Person | White Concert Hall
En Aranjuez con tu amor
World Premiere
Joaquín Rodrigo
(1901 – 1999)
Arr. Alex Klein
Rêverie
Claude Debussy
(1862 – 1918)
Alex Klein, Oboe
Rita Costanzi, Harp
Bohemian Café
Stacy Garrop
b. 1969
Michelle Sung, Flute
Jonathan Gunn, Clarinet
Alex Klein, Oboe
Joe Merchant, Bassoon
Luiz Garcia, French Horn
Robert Skavronski, Double Bass
Requiem for Three Cellos and Piano, Op. 66
David Popper
(1843 – 1913)
Claudio Jaffe, Cello I
Jonathan Tortolano, Cello II
Beideth Briceno, Cello III
David Allen Wehr, Piano
Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 34
I. Allegro non troppo
II. Andante, un poco adagio
III. Scherzo: Allegro
IV. Finale: Poco sostenuto – Allegro non troppo
Johannes Brahms
(1833 – 1897)
David Allen Wehr, Piano
Charles Stegeman, Violin I
Rachel Stegeman, Violin II
Basil Vendryes, Viola
John Walz, Cello
Following Concert: Musician ‘Talk-Back’ Session
Saturday, June 25
Blanche Bryden Student Ensembles
3:00 p.m. | Livestream or In-Person | White Concert Hall
Saturday, June 25
Chamber Orchestra
7:30 p.m. | Livestream or In-Person | White Concert Hall
SPECIAL GUEST CONDUCTOR - ANDRÉ RAPHEL
Danse nègre from African Suite Op. 35, No. 4
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
(1875 – 1912)
Violin Concerto in C major, Op. 3, No. 2
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de
Saint-Georges
(1745-1799)
Rachel Stegeman, Violin
Symphony for the Sons of Nam
James Kimo Williams
b.1950
Intermission
Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, B.178
“From the New World”
I. Adagio – Allegro molto
II. Largo
III. Molto vivace
IV. Allegro con fuoco
Antonín Dvořák
(1841 – 1904)
