ChARTing New Paths highlights the many voices of violinist Amy Lee as she transitions from the position of Associate Concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra to a full-time teaching role at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She’ll perform a work for solo violin, Blue Dialogues by Oberlin graduate Dolores White, and will be joined by her new colleagues in the Oberlin Trio for the Mendelssohn Trio No 1 in D minor, and former Cleveland Orchestra colleagues for the world premiere of Anthony Dilorenzo’s Cecil the Turkey.
The Oberlin Trio:
Amy Lee, violin
Dmitry Kouzov, cello
Haewon Song, piano
Composer Dolores White attended Howard University for two years before transferring to Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she earned her bachelor’s degree in piano performance. She later completed her Master of Music in both piano performance and composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music, twenty years after finishing her undergraduate degree. White’s Blue Dialogues, performed on the concert, draws on classical, jazz, and country music, African-American vocalizations, and a blues harmonic language.
Cecil the Turkey
by Anthony DiLorenzo
A Musical Narrative for Chamber Ensemble
The concert finishes with a piece called Cecil the Turkey (perfect for November!) by Anthony DiLorenzo. Feza Zweifel, ART’s Artistic Director, shares the origin story:
“I went to school with Anthony DiLorenzo at the Curtis Institute of Music. He’s an incredible trumpet player and a fantastic composer for movie trailers, films, and orchestra pops programs – just very accessible music. In school we called him ‘Baby John Williams.’
Tony is also a cancer survivor. About 25 years ago, when he beat cancer, he wanted to celebrate with some friends. He called Craig Knox, now the tubist in the Pittsburgh Symphony (they also played together in a group called the Center City Brass), violinist Pam Frank, who was also at Curtis, and others. Pam hosted seven people for Thanksgiving, and Tony wrote a piece for the gathering with an interesting instrumentation that reflected the group: two violins, two violas, tuba, trumpet, and piano (percussion was added later). It was supposed to be a two-minute piece. It ended up being twelve minutes, with narration!
Here’s another fun connection: Amy Lee went to Curtis and studied with Pam Frank! And Cecil the Turkey has never been played live, only that one time 25 years ago at Pam’s house. So we thought it would be kind of cool to dust it off and have everybody on this November concert join in. The instrumentation is flexible and will be adapted to whoever is performing. We also asked WCLV host Bill O’Connell to narrate.
Enjoy this special treat as Arts Renaissance Tremont gets the holidays off to a fun start!
The Story Behind Cecil
Sometimes the most unexpected musical adventures begin with the simplest of requests.
Many years ago, having emerged from a battle with cancer and the challenges of chemotherapy, I found myself with a renewed appreciation for life’s simple pleasures—good friends, laughter, music, and, of course, a wonderful meal!
For several years, I had been spending Thanksgiving in San Francisco with a group of dear friends, nearly all of them musicians. These gatherings were always filled with wonderful food, lively conversation, and the inevitable music-making. But that particular year, with so much to be thankful for, the celebration held an especially meaningful place in my heart.
As Thanksgiving approached, someone suggested that I compose a short little ditty, perhaps a festive fanfare, that we could all play together before diving into the splendid feast awaiting us.
A perfectly reasonable request.
Unfortunately, being the youthful, endlessly energetic, and perhaps slightly overambitious composer I was at the time, I had something rather different in mind.
Instead of a brief fanfare, I decided to write an entire 15-minute musical adventure, complete with a mischievous turkey, a cast of wonderfully eccentric characters, and a narrator to guide everyone through the ensuing mayhem.
What my friends thought would be a few celebratory measures before dinner had somehow become a full-fledged musical production!
The work came together in a whirlwind of inspiration over just a few days, with much of the narration written during my flight to San Francisco. Looking back, I’m not entirely sure whether it was youthful enthusiasm, creative inspiration, or simply an inability to leave well enough alone!
The original ensemble was an unusual collection of instruments: two violins, two violas, trumpet, tuba, and piano. But two of our Thanksgiving guests weren’t musicians, and I certainly wasn’t about to leave anyone out of the fun!
One was my dear friend Asadour Santourian, for whom I wrote the narration. The other was the pianist’s partner, who was entrusted with a few strategically placed percussion effects. A triangle here, a gentle shimmer of wind chimes there—just enough to announce a scene change, punctuate a moment of mischief, or add a little sparkle to the proceedings. No musical training required, just a good sense of timing!
And with that, everyone had a part to play.
Asadour was a treasured friend whose warmth, humor, and generous spirit touched all of us who knew him. With his recent passing, this little Thanksgiving adventure has taken on a meaning far beyond anything I could have imagined when I first put pen to paper.
What began as a playful musical surprise has become a lasting celebration of friendship, laughter, and the extraordinary gift of simply being together.
Fun fact; the 1st violin part was originally written for Pamela Frank, my classmate at the Curtis Institute. The world premiere will be performed by her former Curtis student, Amy Lee.
I dedicate Cecil the Turkey to the loving memory of Asadour Santourian, with gratitude for the friendship and memories that continue to live on through the music.
About the Music
At the heart of Cecil the Turkey is a rather unusual bird with an extraordinary passion for music.
Cecil isn’t your ordinary Thanksgiving turkey. He’s a piano-playing dreamer whose adventures lead him into a delightfully unpredictable world of colorful characters, unexpected mishaps, and musical mayhem.
From the very first explosive measures, we hear Cecil enthusiastically pounding away at the piano, his clumsy wings hammering out simple, accented triads with more exuberance than finesse. His musical enthusiasm quickly gets the better of him, sending the music careening into an entirely different key before the ensemble manages to rein things back into a more sensible, jolly little tune. It’s a glimpse into Cecil’s personality—well-intentioned, wildly enthusiastic, and just a little unpredictable.
Because the piece was originally written for a gathering of friends, I wanted every musician to have something interesting and enjoyable to play, while keeping most of the music reasonably sight-readable. After all, we did have a Thanksgiving dinner waiting for us!
The first violinist, however, wasn’t quite so lucky. Later in the adventure, the mysterious Blue-footed Booby makes her grand entrance as a dazzling virtuoso fiddle player, giving the violinist a chance to show off some rather impressive musical fireworks.
Along the way, we also meet Seymour, a lovable bullfrog, and Karloff, a rather peculiar hound dog, each contributing to the unfolding musical mischief.
Inspired by the storytelling tradition of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, the music frequently takes over where the narration leaves off, allowing the instruments themselves to portray the characters, their personalities, and the occasional catastrophe. Playful gestures, unexpected twists, and moments of genuine tenderness weave together in a whimsical adventure for audiences of all ages.
Originally scored for two violins, two violas, trumpet, tuba, piano, narrator, and simple percussion, the work has since been adapted for an alternate chamber ensemble featuring oboe and cello in place of trumpet and tuba. A version for small chamber orchestra is also in development.
Beneath all the silliness lies a simple message—one that has become even more meaningful to me over the years:
Never underestimate the power of friendship—and a little music.
