Sunday, November 22, 2:00 pm preconcert discussion, 3:00 pm performance in Chapin Hall at Mount Holyoke College
Lorna McGhee, flute, Jessica Zhou, harp, Richard Ranti, bassoon, David Harding, viola.
The Program:
Johann Sebastian Bach, Flute Sonata in E-flat major, BWV 1031
André Jolivet, Pastoral De Noel
Maurice Ravel, Sonatine
Camille Saint-Saëns, Fantasie for Flute and Harp Opus 124
Claude Debussy, Trio with Flute, Viola and Harp
Lorna McGhee became principal flute of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the start of the 2024-2025 season. She previously played principal flute with the Pittsburgh Symphony, with which she recorded symphonies of Beethoven, Bruckner, Brahms, Dvořák, and Tchaikovsky, as well as the PSO’s Grammy award-winning Shostakovich Symphony No. 5. She has performed as guest principal with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields, and Chamber Orchestra of Europe, among others. Before emigrating to North America, McGhee was co-principal flute of the London’s BBC Symphony Orchestra.
As a concerto soloist, Lorna McGhee has appeared with orchestras in Japan, Taiwan, Canada, the UK, and the U.S. with such groups as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Symphony, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. As winner of the Shell/LSO Scholarship, she performed the Ibert Concerto with London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Center in London and in a gala concert in Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall. Other career highlights include performances of Penderecki’s Flute Concerto under the baton of the composer, Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2 with both Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Nicholas McGegan, Saariaho’s concerto Aile du songe with Osmo Vänskä, and Mozart’s G major concerto with Manfred Honeck.
Born in Beijing, China, BSO principal harp Jessica Zhou joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the fall of 2009. In 2001, Zhou became the first and only Chinese harpist ever to win top prizes in three of the most prestigious harp competitions in the world. That same year she won the 2001 Pro Musicis International Award, leading to her critically acclaimed New York debut in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. She is a two-time winner of the Anne Adams Award National Harp Competition sponsored by the American Harp Society, which presented her in recitals in Boston, Hartford, New York City, San Diego, Mexico, and Taipei, Taiwan, where she also served as chairman of the jury in the First Taiwan National Harp Competition. As a soloist, Zhou has performed with the Israel Philharmonic, Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra in San Diego, New York City Opera Orchestra, and Geneva Chamber Orchestra, where she gave the world premiere of Haim Permont’s Double Harp Concerto during the 2002 World Harp Congress. Her appearances as concerto soloist with the BSO include performances of Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major with BSO principal flute Elizabeth Rowe, at Symphony Hall in January 2016; in August 2016 at Tanglewood; and in November 2017 in Tokyo’s Suntory Hall during the BSO’s Japan tour with Andris Nelsons conducting. From 2004 until 2009 when she joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she was principal harpist of New York City Opera. Zhou is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy, where she studied with Joan Holland. A faculty member at Tanglewood Music Center, Boston University, and New England Conservatory, she holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Juilliard School, where she was a student of Nancy Allen.
Richard “Rick” Ranti is a highly distinguished orchestral musician, chamber artist, and educator who capped off a remarkable 40-year classical music career with his retirement from the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) in the summer of 2023. Born into a deeply musical family, he refined his immense talent at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music before launching his professional career. Ranti served as the BSO’s Associate Principal Bassoon and the Boston Pops’ Principal Bassoon for 34 years, having previously performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and made guest appearances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Toronto Symphony. Beyond his orchestral tenure, he has been a prolific chamber musician, performing at renowned festivals like Tanglewood and Marlboro, and a dedicated educator shaping the next generation of woodwind players on the faculties of the New England Conservatory and Boston University. Following his retirement at the conclusion of the BSO’s 2023 European tour, Ranti has continued to influence the musical community through select guest appearances, masterclasses, and active service on various arts boards including Valley Classical Concerts.
Guest violist David Harding has an extensive solo and chamber music career, having performed throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, Central America and Australia, in such renowned venues as Berlin’s Philharmonie, the Beethovenhaus in Bonn, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and New York’s 92nd Street Yand Metropolitan Museum of Art. Noted for his “eloquent viola playing” (The Scotsman), David has performed at music festivals around the world, including the Edinburgh International Festival, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival, Seattle Chamber Music Society, Sitka Chamber Music Festival, Australian Festival of Chamber Music, and Philip Glass’ “Days and Nights Festival” in Big Sur, California. David’s career has involved collaborations with leading instrumentalists and ensembles such as the Pacifica, Shanghai, Cypress, Dover, Fine Arts and Miro Quartets as well as the Gryphon Trio. David was formerly a member of the Toronto String Quartet and the Chester String Quartet (“one of the country’s best and brightest young string quartets” — Boston Globe)