April 4, 2024
Johns Creek United Methodist Church
Johns Creek, Georgia – USA
John Morrison, conductor; Adelaide Federici, violin; Katie Edelman, soprano.
Pyotr TCHAIKOVSKY: “Polonaise” from Eugene Onegin
Jules MASSENET: “Meditation” from Thaïs
Bedřich SMETANA: The Moldau
Adam GUETTEL (orch. Aucoin): “A Light in the Piazza”
Edward ELGAR: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4, Op. 39
Frederick LOEWE: Selections from Camelot
George GERSHWIN (arr.Sayre): “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess
Leonard BERNSTEIN (arr. Mason): Selections from West Side Story
Mark Gresham | 9 MAY 2024
The Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra concluded its Season 17 finale this past Saturday evening, paying tribute to its late founder and music director, J. Wayne Baughman, who passed away in November last year.
The concert at the Johns Creek United Methodist Church commenced with a warm welcome from host Ken Double, who expressed gratitude to various individuals and organizations whose support made the event possible, including the Fulton County Board of Commissioners and the Georgia Council for the Arts, among others.
Mayor John Bradberry also took the stage to offer remarks, followed by poignant reflections from Double on Baughman’s life and legacy. Double highlighted Baughman’s dual legacies: his commitment to the community through the orchestra and his devotion to family.
The evening concert, led by guest conductor John Morrison, featured musical selections curated by Baughman himself, including pieces significant to his personal journey and the orchestra’s history. The first half opened with the “Polonaise” from Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin and included works such as Smetana’s The Moldau and Sir Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4, Op. 39.
Amidst these were two more selections, each featuring one of Baughman’s daughters: violinist Adelaide Federici, who is also the orchestra’s concertmaster, was the soloist for Massenet’s “Meditation” from Thaïs, and soprano Katie Edelman was vocal soloist for the song “The Light in the Piazza” from the eponymous 2003 musical by Adam Guettel.
Violinist Adelaide Federici receives an ovation after her peformance of “Meditation from Thaïs,” with the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor John Morrison. (credit: Ken Ortloff)
After intermission, the program also revealed Baughman’s plans for the orchestra’s future, including the announcement after intermission of three finalists for the position of music director: Paul Bhasin, director of orchestral studies at Emory University and music director of the Atlanta Chamber Music Festival; Henry Cheng, who served as chief conductor and artistic director of the Klangkraft Orchester in Duisburg, Germany and is currently conductor of Tonyeong International Music Festival Ensemble in Seoul, South Korea; and Howard Hsu, music director of the Valdosta Symphony Orchestra and director of orchestra studies at Valdosta State University. Each will conduct two concerts in the 2024-25 season as part of the final selection process.
Throughout the concert, anecdotes illuminated Baughman’s passion for music, deep familial bonds, and tireless efforts to realize his vision for the orchestra and the community, which included the Legacy Center, envisioned as a comprehensive cultural arts venue as well as a place for community, social and business events. Although the Legacy Center project was not accomplished during his lifetime, Baughman’s efforts toward that goal led to an official feasibility study from the City of Johns Creek, bringing the dream closer to reality.
J. Wayne Baughman
Baughman understood that realizing his vision required collaboration with dedicated individuals. One such person was Steve Dorough, a music enthusiast, member of the Johns Creek Chorale, and founder of First Community Development, enlisted by the Legacy Center/Cultural Arts Alliance for their “Breaking New Ground” fundraising campaign. Dorough and Baughman bonded over shared passions and a mutual commitment to community impact. Tragically, Dorough passed away before witnessing the campaign’s full potential. Before his own passing, Baughman purchased an ad in the 2023-24 program booklet in Dorough’s honor and declared that in his memory, JCSO would perform George Gershwin’s “Summertime” without a conductor in this concert. JCSO did just that after opening the second half with selections from Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot.
The program drew to its anticipated close with an arrangement of selections from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story, after which attendees were invited to a post-concert reception to celebrate Baughman’s life and legacy. But the concert was not yet over: the JCSO then played an encore, the “Farandole” from Bizet’s L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2—composed as incidental music for Alphonse Daudet’s drama L’Arlésienne.
The event was a poignant tribute to Baughman’s enduring impact on the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra and its community, underscoring his legacy of passion, dedication, and artistic vision. The orchestra looks forward to continuing this legacy as it enters its next chapter under new creative leadership. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra: johnscreeksymphony.org
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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