Northwest Sinfonietta ‘Sky and Sea’ features Viet Cuong ‘Re(new)al’ percussion quartet, Debussy’s 'La Mer' January 20 and 21.
TACOMA, Wash. – The Northwest Sinfonietta under the direction of artistic partner Mei-Ann Chen presents “Sky and Sea” on Saturday, January 20 at 7:30 p.m. (Schneebeck Hall, 1567-1625 N. Union Ave., Tacoma) and at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 21 (Pioneer Park Pavilion, 330 S. Meridian).
“Sea and Sky” is a homage to caring for the health of the Earth and the greater Puget Sound region and features three works thematically linked by their exploration and inspiration of ecosystems and environments. Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich’s “Postcards from the Sky” opens the program. Over three short movements (“Unfolding Sky,” “Weeping Clouds,” and “A Messenger”) Mozetich paints vivid sound images of sunlight bursting through clouds, ethereal falling rain and reflection on a world beyond our worldly concern.
Viet Cuong’s “Re(new)al” percussion quartet concerto follows, featuring percussionists Matt Drumm, Jeffery Lund, Mark Goodenberger and Bonnie Whiting. “Re(new)al” is devoted to “breathing new life into traditional ideas” and explores hydro, wind and solar energy sources in three continuous movements. The composer gives a musical nod to efficiently using resources throughout the concerto, utilizing “found” instruments including cans of compressed air and ordinary drinking glasses, and sharing a single snare drum amongst all four soloists.
Dutch composer Marlijn Helder’s chamber orchestra adaptation of Claude Debussy’s impressionist masterpiece “La Mer” closes the program. “La Mer” premiered in 1905 and, despite a chilly initial reception, has become a mainstay of the concert stage. It’s thrilling and evocative imagery of the sea focuses the listener on the essential musical elements in Helder’s adaptation of the work, eschewing the massive instrumental forces of Debussy’s original score for those of a sleek chamber orchestra, allowing a new, almost neoclassical peek into Debussy’s rich musical symbolism and impressionism.
Northwest Sinfonietta artistic partner Mei-Ann Chen enjoys a wide-reaching international career. She has conducted over 120 orchestras across the globe to date, including the symphonies of Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, the Taiwan Philharmonic, and orchestras across Europe including London’s BBC Symphony, the Helsinki Philharmonic in Finland, and Austria’s Tonkünstler Orchestra.
In addition to her role at the Northwest Sinfonietta, serves as music director at the acclaimed Chicago Sinfonietta, the first-ever artistic partner with the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra in Texas, and chief conductor of the Recreation-Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte in Austria.
Collaborating partners Tacoma Tree Foundation, Communities for a Healthy Bay and the University of Puget Sound environmental studies program join the Northwest Sinfonietta for environmentally focused activities and information on taking care of the Puget Sound region.
The Tacoma Tree Foundation presents “Where Forest and Sea Meet,” a tree walk at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 20 beginning in the lobby at Schneebeck Hall at the University of Puget Sound. Free and open to all.
Communities for a Healthy Bay, Tacoma Free Foundation, the University of Puget Sound environmental studies program and the Northwest Sinfonietta present a pre-concert panel on Saturday, January 20 at 6:15 p.m. at Schneebeck Hall. Free with concert ticket.
Baby trees for planting will be available to take home from both performances.
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 March 2 and 3 with “Pictures at an Exhibition” featuring virtuoso bandoneonist Hector Del Curto performing Piazzolla, and Mussorgsky’s timeless “Pictures at an Exhibition.”
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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.