Nightjar returns with Kodály, Schumann and ‘Voodoo Dolls’ May 23

April 29, 2022 in Chamber Music

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nightjar returns with Kodály, Schumann and ‘Voodoo Dolls’ May 23

By Zachary C. Person

Media contact: hello@nightjar.com

SEATTLE, Wash. – Nightjar, Seattle’s newest chamber music society, in collaboration with 10 Degrees Arts + Events presents an evening of playful and triumphant chamber music at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, May 23 at 10 Degrees (6009 12th Ave. S.) in the heart of Seattle’s historic Georgetown neighborhood.

Jessie Montgomery’s “Voodoo Dolls” for string quartet opens the program. The energetic five-minute work is inspired by West African drumming patterns, lyrical chant motives and free improvisation. Montgomery, whose work has been described as “turbulent, wildly colorful and exploding with life” by the Washington Post, is a New York-based composer and violinist who’s music weaves together traditional classical music with elements of improvisation, vernacular music, language and social justice.

Gioachino Rossini’s Duetto in D Major for cello and bass follows. While Rossini wrote a number of playful oddities late in his career, this 14-minute, three-movement jaunt was penned in 1824 during the heart of the young Rossini’s stunning early-career operatic period. A touching middle andante movement is framed by two lighthearted allegro numbers, showcasing virtuoso writing and inventive accompaniment, making the Duetto a substantial piece of 18th century chamber music despite the diminutive ensemble size.

The program continues with the Serenade, Op. 12 for string trio by Zoltán Kodály. Kodály, who spent decades collecting folk music from throughout his native Hungary, masterfully combined late-Romantic sensibilities with the traditional musical material he collected to form his singular compositional voice. While the Serenade Op. 12 is somewhat unusually written for just three string instruments in lieu of the expected quartet, Kodály delivers a substantial nearly 20 minutes in length filled with swarthy Romanticism, Hungarian-inflected ‘parlando’ sequences and joy-filled folk tunes.

The program concludes with Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44. Composed in 1842 during Schumann’s oft-called “year of chamber music,” the Op. 44 quintet for string quartet and piano is widely considered one of the finest examples of Romantic-era chamber music. The quintet is cyclic in nature, with the bold theme that opens the first movement making a dramatic return in the finale, combining with the latter movement’s own theme in a powerfully triumphant fugue to close the four-movement, 30-minute masterpiece.

Performers for the evening include: Michael Lim (violin); Dawn Posey (violin); Blayne Barnes (violin); Daniel Stone (viola); Camille Ripple (viola); Emily Hu (cello); Joseph Kaufman (double bass); and Thomas Lee (piano).

Audience members are welcome to arrive early at 6:00 p.m. for a pre-concert cocktail hour featuring locally made Oola Distillery spirits and stay late for a post-concert after-party with the artists.

Tickets $30. To learn more or purchase tickets, visit: nightjarseattle.org.

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Northwest Sinfonietta closes season with Mozart’s triumphant ‘Prague’ symphony

April 25, 2022 in Orchestra, Chamber Music

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Northwest Sinfonietta closes season with Mozart’s triumphant ‘Prague’ symphony

By Zachary C. Person

Media contact: Karin Choo

TACOMA, Wash. – The Northwest Sinfonietta under the direction of guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen closes the 2021-2022 season with “In Place and Time” May 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Rialto Theater in Tacoma (310 S. 9th St.) and on May 22 at 2:00 p.m. at Pioneer Park Pavilion in Puyallup (330 S. Meridian).

Guest conductor Mei-Ann Chen, making her Northwest Sinfonietta debut, has been lauded as a compelling communicator on and off the podium, and to date has worked with over 110 orchestras worldwide. Chen currently serves as music director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta and Austria’s Recreation Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte, artistic partner of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra in Houston, Texas, and artistic director and conductor of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra summer festival. Notable conducting engagements have included the symphonies of Toronto, Vancouver, Seattle, Indianapolis, Chicago, San Francisco and Houston, the BBC Scottish Symphony, Danish National Orchestra, Sweden’s Gothenburg and many others.

Reena Esmail’s “Teen Murti” for string orchestra opens the program. Named after New Delhi’s Teen Murti, the former residence of the first prime minister of India (which itself is named after the three sculptures standing in front of the building), the work draws on Hindustani musical traditions intertwined with western compositional techniques. Esmail is an Indian-American composer based in Los Angeles who works between the worlds of Indian and Western classical music. She has been commissioned by the Kronos Quartet, Imani Winds, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Chicago Sinfonietta and many others.

Demarre McGill, principal flute of the Seattle Symphony, is featured in the “Concierto Pastoral” by Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1978 for internationally acclaimed flute soloist James Galway, “Concierto Pastoral” exudes joyful freedom throughout. McGill is an internationally acclaimed soloist, recitalist and orchestral musician. Prior to joining the Seattle Symphony, he served as principal flute of the Dallas Symphony, San Diego Symphony, Florida Orchestra and Santa Fe Opera, and has also performed as acting principal flute of New York’s Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Accolades include an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, and solo appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the symphonies of Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Baltimore and Dallas.

W.A. Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 in D Major, K. 504 “Prague” closes both the program and the season for the Northwest Sinfonietta. Already raving over his music, audiences in Prague were buzzing over rumors of an appearance by Mozart to conduct his hit opera “The Marriage of Figaro” in January, 1787. Upon arrival from Vienna, Mozart also brought with him the manuscript for a symphony completed only a few weeks prior in December, 1786. Despite not having composed a symphony for three years, No. 38 was an unequivocal triumph. Its musical heft, refined sophistication and mastery of the form made it an immediate sensation, and the “Prague” symphony has since earned its place as one of the finest symphonies in the western canon.

Tickets $22-50. Student, military and group discounts available. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: www.nwsinfonietta.org

The Northwest Sinfonietta 2022-2023 season opens October 9 and 10 with works by Aaron Copland, Carlos Simon and Maurice Ravel. Season tickets available now; single tickets on sale September 1, 2022.

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About the Northwest Sinfonietta: The Northwest Sinfonietta was founded in 1991 by harpsichordist Kathryn Habedank and conductor Christophe Chagnard. The 35-member ensemble is the premiere chamber orchestra in the Puget Sound region and blends the intimacy of chamber music with the power of a full orchestra. In 2015, the Northwest Sinfonietta became one of the few orchestras in the world to move to an Artistic Partner model of operations, giving the musicians of the ensemble a larger role in the programming and vision for the ensemble. Learn more about the orchestra at: www.nwsinfonietta.org.

Seattle’s newest chamber music society ‘Nightjar’ launches Mar. 28

March 14, 2022 in Chamber Music

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Seattle’s newest chamber music society ‘Nightjar’ launches Mar. 28

By Zachary C. Person

SEATTLE, Wash. – Nightjar, the newest chamber music society in Seattle, in collaboration with 10 Degrees Arts + Events presents an intimate evening of evoking dreams, prayers and mystery at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 28 at 10 Degrees (6009 12th Ave. S.) in the heart of the historic Georgetown neighborhood.

Caroline Shaw’s “Entr’acte” for string quartet opens the program. Penned in 2011 and later adapted for string orchestra, the quartet was inspired by Josef Haydn’s Op. 77, No. 2. Shaw’s work plays off her inspiration from what she called the “spare and soulful shift” to D-flat major in the trio of the Haydn quartet and is structured like a minuet and trio which the composer playfully describes as “riffing on that classical form and taking it a bit further.”

Violinist Elizabeth Phelps continues with the Passacaglia for Solo Violin by Heinrich Biber, one of the earliest known pieces for solo violin. Biber’s passacaglia (a typically serious musical form written in a triple-meter) is the final section of his “Rosary Sonatas” (a.k.a. “Mystery Sonatas”), a collection of 15 solo works each titled after a Christian rosary practice. The virtuosic works were largely forgotten after their composition in 1676, but after being ‘rediscovered’ in the early 20th century, have become a cornerstone of the solo violin repertoire.

“The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind is a kind of epic, a history of Judaism,” says Golijov. “It has Abraham, exile, and redemption. The movements sound like they are in three of the languages spoken in almost 6,000 years of Jewish history: the first in Aramaic; the second in Yiddish; and the third in Hebrew. I never wrote it with this idea in mind, and only understood it when the work was finished.”

Performers for the evening include: Elizabeth Phelps (solo violin); Caitlyn Kelley (violin); Blayne Barnes (violin); Kayleigh Miller (viola); Emily Hu (cello); and Angelique Poteat (clarinet).

Audience members are welcome to arrive early at 6:00 p.m. for a pre-concert cocktail hour featuring locally made Oola Distillery spirits and stay late for a post-concert after-party with the artists.

Tickets $30. To learn more or purchase tickets, visit: nightjarseattle.org.

The Nightjar season continues May 23 at 7:00 p.m. at 10 Degrees Arts + Events with a program featuring works by Jesse Montgomery, Gioachino Rossini, Zoltán Kodály and Robert Schumann.

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Conrad Tao opens Corvallis-OSU Piano International Steinway Piano Series Nov. 3

October 10, 2019 in Chamber Music, Piano

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 10, 2019

Conrad Tao opens Corvallis-OSU Piano International Steinway Piano Series Nov. 3

By Zachary C. Person

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Corvallis-OSU Piano International 2019-2020 Steinway Piano Series opens with American pianist Conrad Tao at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 3 at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th St., Corvallis.

The 25-year-old Tao has garnered significant critical praise and accolades throughout his already lengthy performing career including being awarded a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2011, and being named a both a Gilmore Young Artist and a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts.

He has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, and Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. During the 2019-20 season, Tao will perform as soloist with the symphonies of Seattle, Baltimore, Charlotte, Phoenix and others.

Tao’s eclectic Corvallis program juxtaposes three well-known staples of the piano repertoire (J.S. Bach’s “Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue; Rachmaninoff’s “Etude-Tableau, Op. 39 No. 2”; Schumann’s “Kreisleriana”) with innovative late-20th and 21st century works (David Lang’s “Cage” and “wed”; Elliott Carter’s “Two Thoughts About the Piano”; Julia Wolfe’s “Earring”; and Jason Eckardt’s “Echoes’ white veil”).

Tao will also present a masterclass on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3:00 p.m. in OSU’s Community Hall room 303, 1650 SW Pioneer Place. The masterclass is free and open to the public; space is limited.

Tickets $25 advance, $28 door. College students with ID and youth 8-18 admitted free. Advance tickets may be purchased online at corvallispiano.org or locally in Corvallis at Grass Roots Books & Music. To request accommodations relating to a disability please call (541) 758-0036, preferably at least one week in advance.

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About Corvallis-OSU Piano International: Corvallis-OSU Piano International furthers the appreciation and celebration of piano music and performance in our community by providing high-quality performances, outreach opportunities and educational programs. COPI presents the Steinway Piano Series, an annual concert series featuring world-class performers. Children’s concerts, master classes, lectures and a jazz series also serve as part of a mission to bring people together in a culture of piano through performance, education and advocacy.

Corvallis-OSU Piano International presents “Noche de Alma Latinoamericana” Oct. 20

October 03, 2019 in Piano, Chamber Music

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 3, 2019

Corvallis-OSU Piano International presents “Noche de Alma Latinoamericana” Oct. 20

By Zachary C. Person

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Corvallis-OSU Piano International presents the third annual “Noche de Alma Latinoamericana” on Sunday, October 19 from 2:00 – 5:30 p.m. at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th St., Corvallis.

The free, family-friendly event is dedicated to bringing together classical and folk traditions of Latin America. This year’s theme is “Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead), and attendees are invited and encourage to dress in traditional clothing.

Pianists William Villaverde and Fabiana Claure are the featured performers. The husband-wife duo, who are from Cuba and Bolivia respectively, present “A Piano Journey Through Latin America” featuring works such as Bolivian “Cuecas”, Brazilian tangos, classical and jazz-inspired Cuban music, and a four-hand piano arrangement of Astor Piazzolla’s “Tango Suite.”

Local youth musicians Amaia Arismendi (piano), Isaac Heredia (piano), Kai Frueh (piano), Ben Frueh (violin), Elsa Moreno (voice) and Jesus Moreno (guitar) will also present a performance during the festival.

The complete festival schedule of events includes:

· 2:00-5:00 p.m. – Corvallis Arts Center Activities (Dia de los Muertos) (Giustina Gallery)

· 2:00-2:30 p.m. – Dancing Workshop (Giustina Gallery)

· 2:30-3:15 p.m. – Local young musicians perform (Austin Auditorium)

· 4:00-5:00 p.m. – Claure and Villaverde piano duo performs (Austin Auditorium)

· 5:00-5:30 p.m. – Pan dulce and champurrado refreshments (Giustina Gallery)

“Noche de Latinoamericana” is free and open to the public. No tickets are required. To request accommodations relating to a disability please call (541) 758-0036, preferably at least one week in advance.

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Steinway Piano Series presents virtuoso pianist Yeol Eum Son April 14

March 22, 2019 in Chamber Music, Piano

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 22 March 2019

Steinway Piano Series presents virtuoso pianist Yeol Eum Son April 14

By Zachary C. Person

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Pianist Yeol Eum Son performs at Oregon State University as part of the Corvallis-OSU Piano International Steinway Piano Series at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 14 in the Austin Auditorium at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis.

Corvallis-OSU Piano International will also host a masterclass and opportunity to meet Son from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 13 in Community Hall room 303, 1650 SW Pioneer Place.

Son is a prizewinner at the Tchaikovsky and Van Cliburn international piano competitions. She is known for thrilling performances of a wide range of concert repertoire, and is an in-demand performer worldwide. Notable solo engagements have included performances with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra; Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; Dresden Philharmonic; Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; the Orchestre Philharmonique du Radio France, and many others. Son has performed solo recitals at many of the most important concert venues in the world, including Wigmore Hall and Cadogan Hall in London, Berlin’s Philharmonie and the Seoul Arts Centre in her native South Korea.

Her Corvallis recital program includes two popular sets of romantic-era preludes: Frederic Chopin’s Op. 28 and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Op. 32.

Chopin’s Op. 28 is a cycle of 24 preludes for solo piano, one each in all 24 major and minor keys. The set of short pieces - none is longer than 90 measures - vary widely in musical content, and are not related thematically as a set. The preludes were composed from 1835-1839. Though Chopin, an acclaimed virtuoso pianist, never performed Op. 28 in its entirety at a single performance, his 24 preludes have since become a cornerstone of the solo piano repertoire.

Rachmaninoff’s Op. 32 is a set of 13 preludes for solo piano written in 1910. Op. 32 was written as a complement to the 11 preludes previously composed by Rachmaninoff, and completed his set of 24 preludes for piano in all major and minor keys.

Tickets $25 in advance, $28 door. Advance tickets are available online at corvallispiano.org or locally at Grass Roots Books & Music. Youth ages 8-18 and all college students with valid ID admitted free. CAFA discounts apply, valid for purchase of up to two $5 tickets at The LaSells Stewart Center starting one hour prior to the concert with SNAP card. Accommodations relating to a disability may be made by calling 541-758-0036, preferably at least one week in advance.

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Pianist Alpin Hong presents ‘Masters of Metamorphosis’ lecture-concert March 1

February 01, 2019 in Piano, Chamber Music

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Pianist Alpin Hong presents ‘Masters of Metamorphosis’ lecture-concert March 1

By Zachary C. Person

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Pianist Alpin Hong presents “Masters of Metamorphosis” as part of the Corvallis-OSU Piano International Insights at the Piano series at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 1 at First Presbyterian Church, 114 SW 8th St, Corvallis.

The program features several theme and variation sets, including “Desperate Measures” by Robert Muczynski and Modest Mussorgsky’s well-known “Pictures at an Exhibition.”

Hong is a sought-after musician known for his powerful performances and engaging style. Equally at home in a variety of contexts, he has performed in recital at New York’s Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, as soloist with symphony orchestras throughout the country, and has collaborated with rock bands in an effort to redefine the modern classical concert experience.

He brings a rare combination of world-class piano technique, an audience-engaging presence, and a background in extreme sports, martial arts and video games to the concert stage. In addition to his concert activities, Hong has presented a TEDx talk titled “Transform Yourself Into a Performer” and is regularly featured as a keynote speaker for philanthropic and educational events across the United States.

Hong will also perform George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” on Saturday, March 2 at 2:00 p.m. at the Corvallis-Benton County Library as part of the “People and Pianos Day” hosted by Corvallis-OSU Piano International. The event is free and open to the public.

Tickets $10 in advance, $15 door. Advance tickets are available online at corvallispiano.org or locally at Grass Roots Books & Music. Youth ages 8-18 and all college students with valid ID admitted free. CAFA discounts apply, valid for purchase of up to two $5 tickets at The LaSells Stewart Center starting one hour prior to the concert with SNAP card. Accommodations relating to a disability may be made by calling 541-758-0036, preferably at least one week in advance.

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COPI Steinway Piano Series presents MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius Grant’ recipient Jeremy Denk Jan. 13

December 18, 2018 in Chamber Music, Piano

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 18 December 2018

COPI Steinway Piano Series presents MacArthur Foundation ‘Genius Grant’ recipient Jeremy Denk Jan. 13

By Zachary C. Person

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Pianist Jeremy Denk performs at Oregon State University as part of the Corvallis-OSU Piano International Steinway Piano Series at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 13 in the Austin Auditorium at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis.

Denk is one of the foremost American pianists on today’s concert scene. He was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship (a.k.a. the “Genius Grant”) in 2013, an Avery Fisher Career Prize in 2014 and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016. He is a graduate of Oberlin College, Indiana University and the Juilliard School.

During recent concert seasons Denk has performed as a soloist across North America with the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra. International solo engagements have included soloist engagements with the Helsinki Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra, The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the City of Birmingham Symphony and many others.

Ludwig v. Beethoven’s “Five Variations on ‘Rule Brittania’ in D Major” opens the concert. Though well known today, the “Rule Brittania” theme was much more obscure in the early 19th century. Beethoven’s curiosity about British culture also spurred the composition of his earlier “Variations on God Save the King” for piano and “Wellington’s Victory, Op. 91” for orchestra a decade later.

“I Still Play” by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams follows. The inclusion of the five-minute piece is a clever nod towards Denk’s now-famous recording of J.S. Bach’s “Goldberg Variations” on Nonesuch Records. The work was written in celebration of Nonesuch president Bob Hurwitz upon his retirement. Hurwitz is a trained pianist who “still plays” and Adams set a series of short variations on a harmonic progression that acknowledges both Hurwitz’s love of the “Goldberg Variations” and the triumph of Denk’s recording under his watch at Nonesuch.

Two more variation-oriented works follow: Georges Bizet’s “Variations chromatiques” and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Variations sérieuses,” Op. 54. Both works were inspired by Beethoven: Bizet’s variations are a homage to his love of Beethoven’s 32 Variations in C minor; the Mendelssohn was composed as part of a campaign raising funds for a commission of a statue honoring Beethoven in his hometown of Bonn, Germany.

Franz Liszt’s transcription of Beethoven’s “An die ferne Geliebte (To the distant beloved)” and Ralph Schumann’s “Fantasy in C Major, Op. 17” close the program. The Schumann is based on a theme from “An die ferne Geliebte” and like Mendelssohn’s Op. 54 was composed as part of the campaign raising funds for the statue honoring Beethoven.

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COPI Steinway Piano Series presents Lukáš Vondráček Nov. 4 at Stewart Center

October 15, 2018 in Piano, Chamber Music

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 15 October 2018

COPI Steinway Piano Series presents Lukáš Vondráček Nov. 4 at Stewart Center

By Zachary C. Person

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Pianist Lukáš Vondráček performs at Oregon State University as part of the Corvallis-OSU Piano International Steinway Piano Series at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 4 in the Austin Auditorium at The LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th Street, Corvallis.

Following his first place prize at the 2016 International Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition, the Czech-born Vondráček has emerged as one of the most sought after performers of his generation. During the 2018-2019 season, notable solo engagements include the Pittsburgh Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Prague Radio Symphony, and the Orquestra Sinfônica de São Paulo. Recital dates include the Vancouver Chopin Society, Deutschlandfunk Cologne, the Flagey in Brussels, and many others.

Past seasons have seen him perform as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and the national orchestra of Belgium. Solo recitals have included dates at the most important venues in the world, including Wigmore Hall in London, the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia and Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Other international awards include the top prizes at the Hilton Head, San Marino and Unisa International Piano Competitions, and the Raymond E. Buck Jury Discretionary Award at the Van Cliburn Piano Competition in 2009.

Vondráček’s program includes works by three Czech composers: Vítêzslav Novák’s “Memories, Op. 6”; Josef Suk’s “Love Song, Op. 7, No. 1”; and four selections from Bedřich Smetana’s second book of Czech dances. Two works by the German romantic composer Robert Schumann, “Arabesque in C Major, Op. 18” and “Carnaval, Op. 9,” close the recital.

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