Saturday, May 17
7:30 pm

"Music is the spark that lights the fire of the soul." Skagit Symphony starts the festivities by setting off Handel's Fireworks, and brings our final evening concert to a close with the magic of Stravinsky's Firebird. Marta Szlubowska dazzles with Tchaikovsky's violin concerto.

Pre-Concert Chat - You're invited to arrive a little early to join Maestro Wheatley and guest artist, Marta Szlubowska, for an intimate pre-concert chat. Theater doors open at 6:40 pm for general seating, with the chat beginning at 6:45 pm. When the chat concludes, attendees will leave the theater and re-enter with their ticket to take their reserved seats for the concert.

George Frideric Handel
Overture from “Music for the Royal Fireworks”

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35

Lee Actor
Concerto for Timpani and Orchestra

Igor Stravinsky
The Firebird Suite (1919)

Total Runtime: 1 hour, 46 minutes

ARTIST BIOS

Marta Szlubowska, Violin

Praised for her “warm lyricism and flawless technique” by Le soir (Belgium) and for her “gripping performance of music by Grazyna Bacewicz” by The Washington Post, Polish-American violinist, Marta Szlubowska is a sought- after soloist, chamber musician, teacher and a concertmaster. Her concerts have taken her to over 15 countries throughout Europe and Americas. She is the former Concertmaster and Soloist of the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra in Jackson, MS (2005-2022). Ms. Szlubowska has been a recipient of the prestigious 2019/20 Artist Fellowship Award and the Project Grant in 2022/23 from the Mississippi Arts Commission to further her artistic career.

A winner of numerous awards, fellowships and prizes such as 1st Prizes at the Marbury and Yale Gordon Competitions and the 2nd Prize in the Bryan International String Competition, Ms. Szlubowska has appeared as a soloist with the Rochester Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, and many others. Since moving to the United States, Ms. Szlubowska has proudly represented Poland and US in the Queen Elizabeth, Sibelius, and Wieniawski International Violin Competitions. She has given numerous performances at Tanglewood, Meadowmount and Colorado Music Festivals. Ms. Szlubowska performed under the baton of Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa at Tanglewood, as well as Alexander Schneider at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts making her Carnegie Hall debut in 1984.

Between 1992 and 1999 Ms. Szlubowska held a position of the Assistant Professor at the Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA, where she spent 7 wonderful years teaching many talented students (including Dr. David Benson, who is currently the Concertmaster of the Skagit Symphony Orchestra) as well as performing as the First violinist of the Regency String Quartet and the Concertmaster of the PLU’s University Symphony Orchestra. While living in Pacific Northwest Ms. Szlubowska performed numerous times as a soloist with PLU Symphony Orchestra, Bellevue Philharmonic, Everett Symphony Orchestra, Olympia Symphony, Tacoma Symphony Orchestra and more. She also held the position of the Concertmaster of the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra just before moving to Minnesota in 1999.

Ms. Szlubowska’s passion for solo and chamber music led her to performances with various ensembles such as Szlubowska/Belsky Duo

(violin and piano, who made an award-winning CD entitled “Myth and Romance”, music for violin and piano by Polish composers), Mississippi Fine Arts String Trio, Mississippi String Quartet, Inaugural Piano Trio, Tango Rendezvous Ensemble, Duo Vivace (with her daughter, violist, Julia Kirk) as well as Marta Szlubowska Ensemble, a vibrant and exciting strings and accordion ensemble that showcases light classical and popular music from around the world. Recent concert venues where Ms. Szlubowska has been featured include the Polish Museum of America and Sheridian Music Studio in Chicago, IL, St. Paul Concert Series in Meridian,MS, Arts and Lecture Series at Millsaps College, Old Capitol Museum and Mississippi Arts Museum in Jackson, MS and many more.

A recipient of the prestigious Joseph Maddy Scholarship, Ms. Szlubowska received her Bachelor’s in Violin Performance and Artist Diploma degrees from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and Master’s Degree in Violin Performance from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her teachers include Janusz Szok, Charles Libove, Berl Senofsky and Charles Treger.

You can find more information about Ms.Szlubowska’s concert activities as well as her recordings at: www.martaszlubowska.com. For a large selection of performance and teaching videos please visit her YouTube Channel at: @musicalmomentswithmarta.

Erica Montgomery, Timpani

Principal Timpanist Erica Montgomery moved to the Whidbey Island in 2018 after a completing a distinctive 20 year career with the United States Air Force Band, Washington DC.  While in DC she rose through the ranks, serving as section Percussionist, Principal Percussionist and finally retiring as principal timpanist, a chair she held for 12 years.  Erica is honored to have achieved the rank of Chief Master Sergeant, as well as being the first female Principal Percussionist & Timpanist of the USAF Band. 

Prior to living in Washington DC, she served as Principal Timpanist with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, Keith Lockhart conductor and the Illinois Symphony.  An active freelance musician she has performed with the Seattle Symphony, Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Brass Band of Battle Creek, Evansville Philharmonic, Annapolis Symphony, National Philharmonic and the West Virginia Symphony.​

Erica earned a B.M. performance degree from the University of Illinois where she was recipient of the prestigious Edgard Varèse Award & M.M. performance degree from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.  Military scholarly awards include Class President (NCO Academy, McGuire, AFB) Distinguished Graduated & Military Heritage Essay Award Winner (USN, Senior Enlisted Academy, Newport Rhode Island).  Additionally, during her Military career Erica was proud to musically dedicate the Air Force Memorial, the 9/11 Memorial and the WWII Memorials in Washington DC with the USAF Band.

Erica is excited to now call Whidbey Island home, the perfect place to play drums, drink coffee, and explore nature.  Locally, she is an active member with the Skagit Symphony, Saratoga Orchestra and program director of “Percussion on the Rock” —Whidbey Island’s newest & coolest percussion festival!  In her spare time, she and her husband Andrew are continuously keeping an eye out for the elusive Sasquatch and our Southern Resident Orcas.