OCTOBER 24 @ 7:30 PM
As Above, So Below
Daniel Canosa, conductor
OTHER WORLDS (world premiere)
Matt Rupert (b. 1984)
with projected images created by Damon Mahoney
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Jim Stopher, piano
"What I am looking for is not out there, it is in me" — Helen Keller
Other Worlds
An extension of Gustav Holst’s ‘The Planets’, ‘Other Worlds’ explores celestial bodies beyond the known 8 planets, including worlds not yet discovered at the time of the writing of the original ‘Planets’.
While Holst’s original works evoke the mythical stories behind each planet’s namesake, ‘Other Worlds’ explores both mythological & scientific features of each strange new world.
Movement I - Enceladas
Enceladas is an ice moon of Saturn named for a mythological giant. The immense tidal forces of Saturn pull huge water ice jets from beneath the frozen crust that burst all the way into the space. It’s theorized that these strong tidal forces might provide the energy needed to support life.
Movement II - Zoozve
Zoozve is a quasi-moon of Venus which has an irregular orbit. It’s predicted that Zoozve will not remain in stable orbit & will eventually be ejected from orbit in about 500 years. In January 2024, the podcast ‘Radiolab’ aired an episode about Zoozve, which Radiolab co-host Latif Nasser first noticed on his child's solar system poster, where it was referred to as "ZOOZVE", derived from the artist, Alex Foster, misreading his notes regarding the provisional designation "2002VE". This led Nasser to propose the name "Zoozve" to the International Astronomical Union's Working Group Small Bodies Nomenclature (WGSBN). The name was approved and announced by the WGSBN in February 2024.
Movement III - Ceres
Ceres is a dwarf planet & the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars & Jupiter. It is named for the Greek goddess of the harvest. This movement imagines a not-so-distant future where humans or perhaps even robots are harvesting resources like precious metals & water from asteroids & dwarf planets like Ceres.
Movement IV - Europa
Europa is a moon of Jupiter with huge oceans beneath its icy surface. Jupiter’s huge tidal forces are thought to fuel massive geo-thermal activity at the bottom of Europa’s ocean. As we’ve seen on Earth, live thrives at geo-thermal vents at the bottom of our own ocean, so it’s theorized that alien life might be just as abundant at the bottom of Europa’s hidden seas.
Movement V - Theia
Theia is a hypothesized ancient planet that is thought to have collided with Earth to form our moon. It is named for the Greek Titaness & child of Gaia (Earth) & Uranus (Sky). Theia is the personification of heavenly light, & this movement imagines the colossal collision that would have occurred between Earth & Theia & the incredible energy & forces this event unleashed.
— Matt Rupert 2026
Matt Rupert
Matt Rupert (b. 1984) is a San Francisco-based composer, music educator, and performer. Trained in clarinet and piano at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, Matt's studies also include chamber music workshops in Vienna with members of the Vienna Philharmonic and Vienna State Opera Orchestra. He is the co-founder of Little Mission Studio in San Francisco and co-founder and president of the Make More Music Foundation in memory and honor of his parents. In 2024, Matt was honored in Yamaha's Top '40 under 40' Music Educators. Visit Matt!
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major
From its revolutionary opening bars, Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto breaks the mold for soloistic expressivity! Composed in 1805-06 and publicly premiered in 1808, it became Beethoven's final performance as a piano soloist, as his increasing deafness drew him out of the spotlight.
"It strikes me as Beethoven's most personal and deeply felt concerto."
–Jim Stopher
Here's what else our soloist says...
The concerto has one of the most iconic openings in the concerto literature: a beautiful passage played softly by the soloist, with the orchestra answering in the remote key of B major. (Earlier concertos tended to begin with a long orchestral tutti.)
The first movement has an epic cadenza written by Beethoven himself that leads directly into a gorgeous and ultimately triumphant ending, with the piano and orchestra joining forces.
The second movement has been compared to Orpheus (the soloist) taming the Furies (the string section). It's a unique and unusually short middle movement, with plenty of dialogue between those opposing forces. And Orpheus is successful!
The third movement, a rollicking rondo, also has quite a bit of dialogue between soloist and orchestra, including sections where they seem to be completing each other's sentences.
In general, this piece is a stunning combination of virtuosity and vigor on the one hand, and lyrical intimacy on the other.
Jim Stopher
Jim Stopher maintains an active career as conductor, pianist, composer, and educator. He has led the College of Marin Symphony Orchestra for six seasons, and recently completed four seasons as Music Director of the Joliet (IL) Symphony Orchestra. At the College of Marin, he teaches courses in music theory, repertoire, history, and ear training.
Jim is enthusiastic about bringing music to residents of Marin County, both through his work at the college and with initiatives in the community: recent off-campus activities include lectures on musical aesthetics at the Marin Philosophical Society, music-themed lessons for students at the San Rafael Algebra Academy, workshop coaching for the Chamber Musicians of Northern California, and solo concerto appearances with the Mill Valley Philharmonic (Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini), the Marin Symphony Youth Orchestra (Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3), and the Lucas Valley Chamber Orchestra (Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21).
Jim graduated from the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Gustav Meier, Markand Thakar, and Marin Alsop. A winner of the International Conductors' Workshop and Competition, Jim has also been honored by the Conductors' Guild as a finalist for its biennial Thelma E. Robinson award. Prior to his enrollment at Peabody, Jim earned an MM under Thomas Cockrell at the University of Arizona, where he held a fellowship, directed the University Philharmonic, and was assistant conductor of the Arizona Symphony.
Early studies on the piano led to a debut at age 15 as soloist with the Louisville Orchestra, in which he performed a Mozart concerto with an original cadenza. He continued his piano education with Lee Luvisi in Louisville, Anton Nel at the Aspen Music School, Patricia Zander of the New England Conservatory, and Tannis Gibson at the University of Arizona. Jim studied music theory and composition at Harvard University, and his compositions have been performed by the Sebastian Chamber Orchestra, the Navitas String Quartet, the Harvard Group for New Music, and the College of Marin Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
In 2018, Jim released Tonal Recall, an album of original piano music which can be found on all major streaming services and his YouTube channel. He lives in San Rafael, CA with his wife, Dana Sadava, along with their dog, Summer, and cat, Darla.
ECHO STAFF AND STEERING COMMITTEE
Matthew Stern, Director of Operations
Daniel Canosa, Music Director
Carol Adee, Personnel Manager
Kyle Beard, Treasurer and Grants
Jane Lenoir, Development
Beth Milne and Kevin Gordon, Librarians
Matt Rupert, Social Media
Marcelo Saettone, Graphic Design
Ruth Wilson, Publicity
Our most sincere thanks to the First Presbyterian Church of San Anselmo and Rev. Scott Clark for their support.