FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Northwest Sinfonietta 2023-2024 season ‘A Few of Our Favorite Things’ opens Oct. 7 & 8 with world premiere of wine-inspired Oboe concerto
TACOMA, Wash. – The Northwest Sinfonietta opens its 2023-2024 season “A Few of Our Favorite Things” with “Wine and Dine” October 7 at 7:30 p.m. (Foss Waterway Seaport Museum, 705 Dock St., Tacoma ) and October 8 at 2:00 p.m. (Pioneer Park Pavilion, 330 S. Meridian, Puyallup). Jeffery Meyer, one of the three artistic partners of the sinfonietta, conducts.
“Mariachitlán” (“Mariachiland”), an orchestral homage to contemporary composer Juan Pablo Contreras’s birthplace in the Mexican state of Jalisco, opens the program. Throughout its 10 thrilling minutes, Contreras paints a vivid sonic picture of a visit to the iconic Plaza de los Mariachis in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, with swirling Mariachi rhythms, evocative melodies reminiscing about the landscapes of Jalisco and even a policeman’s whistle trying to break up the wild party.
The world premiere of Roupen Shakarian’s Oboe Concerto featuring soloist Dan Williams follows. Each of the concerto’s three movements is inspired by a specific varietal of wine; patrons 21+ can enjoy a curated wine flight during the performance. Shakarian is a composer-conductor who has served as music director of the Skagit Symphony and Philharmonia Northwest. Guest conducting appearances have included the Seattle Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet and many others.
Soprano Jennifer Krikawa, soprano Ivy Zhou and tenor Andrew Etherington are joined by the PLU Opera Chorus in selections from Johann Strauss II’s lighthearted operetta “Die Fledermaus” (“The Bat”) to close the program. “Die Fledermaus” has been a staple of the stage since its premiere in 1874 and tells a classic ‘revenge tale’ about a practical joke repaid years later, a decadent Viennese ball and exuberant operatic moments from the unlikeliest of locations: the local jail.
Jennifer Krikawa, who is also artistic director of Vashon Opera, has appeared with New York City Opera, Connecticut Opera and Virginia Opera. Ivy Zhou is a Seattle-based lyric coloratura soprano who has appeared with Nashville Opera, Seattle Opera and many others in concert and recital. Andrew Etherington has appeared most recently in the acclaimed “The Tacoma Method” at the Tacoma Opera, and in performances with Skagit Opera and Kitsap Opera.
Tickets starting at $25. Student, military and group discounts available. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: nwsinfonietta.org
The Northwest Sinfonietta 2023-2024 continues on December 16 and 17 with “The Four Seasons” featuring works by J.S. Bach, Kian Ravaei and Antonio Vivaldi.
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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: nwsinfonietta.org.