Saturday, July 17, 2021 - 7:00pm

5625 Holy Trinity Drive Melbourne, FL 32940


MARQUEZ Danzon No. 2
JOSEPH Concerto Dystonia (WORLD PREMIERE)
RACHMANINOFF  Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

Joseph Lovinsky, french horn
Thomas Joseph, guest composer

This thrilling program features works from Marquez,  Rachmaninoff, and Joseph.  The party opens with Arturo Marquez's sensual and jubilant Danzón No. 2, filled with varying tempos and syncopated rhythms. Symphonic Dances was Sergei Rachmaninoff’s last work and he summoned every bit of his vast resources in this vivid orchestral showpiece. Rachmaninoff created a magnificent orchestral sound, dramatic contrasts and occasionally daring combinations of timbres  There’s much to savor including an alto saxophone and pulsating percussion in the first movement; a dark, eerie waltz in the second; and Russian Orthodox chants, tubular bells and the composer’s go-to Dies irae in the last.  SCSO's principal horn, Joesph Lovinsky will present the World Premiere of Thomas Joseph's Concerto Dystonia for horn and orchestra, which chronicles the composer's own battle with task-specific focal dystonia, a condition which also led Aaron Collins to give up horn playing.

Artist Information


Thomas Joseph (b. 1988) holds a Master of Music in Music Composition from Shenandoah Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition from Old Dominion University (Norfolk, VA). He studied composition under Andrey Kasparov, Associate Professor of Music at ODU, and Mark Chambers. Joseph has additional studies in piano and horn. He is also an adjunct faculty member of the Old Dominion Community Music Program for Theory and Composition.  Joseph was awarded the Undergraduate Research Award at ODU to facilitate a recital which included an original work titled Quartet (2009-2010) for soprano saxophone, vibraphone, acoustic guitar, and harpsichord. This work also served as a teaching aid during the Undergraduate Research Symposium, in which he lectured on the creative and organizational process of music composition. Additionally, he spearheaded the execution of another grant which produced ODU's first composition group student recital.

In 2010, Thomas Joseph won the Young Artist Competition at ODU with Concert Music for Orchestra. He also received an award for Outstanding Graduating Student of the music department. Recent performances include those of Fanfare (2010), commissioned and performed by the Eastern Virginia Brass Quintet; Sonatina for Flute and Piano, performed by Bonnie Kim (flute) and Andrey Kasparov (piano) at the Hampton Roads Flute Faire;  Dominion Fanfare (previously known as Fanfare 2013) by the ODU Wind Ensemble; and Trombone Beast Suite, premiered by Mike Hall (trombone) and Stephen Coxe (piano).

In addition to Quartet, works composed at ODU include Preludes and Fugue (2010), an antiphonal three prelude and fugue work for three separate quartets, respectively comprised of double reeds, clarinets, and strings; Music for Celesta, Harp, Piano, Percussion, and Strings (2010); Impromptu for Horn (2010); Distortions (2010) and Fortitude (2009) for orchestra; Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor (2010); Toccata No. 1 for Four Hands and Toccata No. 2 for solo piano (2010); and Fantasia for Piano (2009).

Joseph also composed An Hour of Rumination for Wind Ensemble (2012) and an Unaccompanied Solo for Violin (2012). Other recent compositions include many more wind ensemble works such as Legend, Pulse, Pentahedron Prisms, Autumn, Anthem, Shades of America, Farewell Celebration, Sentiments, and Joker. Additional solo and chamber pieces include Exultation: Concerto for Trumpet, Exultation for Percussion Ensemble, Suite for Six (Natural) Horns, Music for Clarinet and Piano, Waltz for Horn/Viola and Piano, and Piano Sonata No. 2 in C minor.

Joseph's Concerto Dystonia for solo horn and orchestra (as well as horn and piano) chronicles the composer's own battle with task-specific focal dystonia. Concerto Dystonia is meant to bring awareness to the neurological condition of focal dystonia, in which the brain short-circuits and the sufferer experiences muscle spasms with no apparent physical disabilities. Utilizing different playing techniques, the piece depicts a skillful performer's gradual decline in technical ability. However, hope for a future of recovery is also demonstrated to encourage fellow sufferers of focal dystonia.

Joseph Lovinsky, principal horn of the Space Coast Symphony and frequent soloist of the Maryland Symphony Orchestra, was appointed to this position by world renowned horn soloist Barry Tuckwell. Lovinsky, former principal horn of The United States Army Band "Pershing's Own" as well as The Army Orchestra, and The Army Brass Quintet in Washington, DC, was also a frequent soloist with those ensembles.  In 2013, Lovinsky left the military and joined the faculty of Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University in Winchester, Virginia, where he is a member of the Faculty Brass and Wind Quintets, and conducts the Shenandoah Horns ensemble. An exceptionally dedicated educator, Lovinsky created the Shenandoah University 100 Mile Joe Horn Scholarship fund. In an extreme act of fundraising, he ran over 400 hundred laps around Shenandoah University's track on March 28, 2014, raising thousands of dollars for his students' education. Lovinsky is also the 2014 recipient of the Shenandoah University Wilkins Appreciation Award, one of the highest honors that the University bestows upon a faculty member. Lovinsky is also on faculty at Howard University-Washington, DC.

Lovinsky studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, and then served as Horn Teaching Assistant at The Juilliard School where he earned the Artist Diploma. Subsequently, Lovinsky was appointed principal horn of the Miami City Ballet Orchestra, Israel Pops Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic, where he was a frequent soloist. Lovinsky has performed in all 50 states, Europe, South America, and Asia, from Carnegie Hall to the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. A versatile performer, Lovinsky shared stages with a wide variety of artists, from Jessye Norman, Midori Gotō, Isaac Stern, and Yo-Yo Ma, to Dizzy Gillespie, Barry Manilow, Josh Groban, and Usher. Lovinsky also toured the United States with Leonard Slatkin and the National Symphony. Some of Lovinsky's media appearances include performances on NBC's Today, NPR's A Prairie Home Companion, Fox News, and the Food Network's Emril Live and Bobby Flay shows.

Lovinsky was a featured soloist at the International Horn Society Workshop in Eugene, Oregon and numerous music education conferences, including The Midwest Clinic's Final Grand Concert in Chicago and the Southeast Horn Workshop. He has presented recitals and master classes at major music schools including the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Baylor University, University of California Los Angeles, Florida State University, Indiana University, North Carolina School of the Arts, Northwestern University, Puerto Rico Conservatory, and The Juilliard School, among others.

Lovinsky is a life member of the International Horn Society and serves on the Curtis Institute of Music Alumni Council. He also maintains a full schedule of solo appearances with orchestras and concert bands, and continues to present "Play Without Limits" clinics throughout the country.  Lovinsky is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Clinician, and performs exclusively on Yamaha horns.