Northwest Sinfonietta’s ‘Baroque to Blue Ridge’ traces the fiddle across Atlantic, into the heart of Appalachia
TACOMA, Wash. – The Northwest Sinfonietta traces the fiddle and violin from Scandinavia to the British Isles, across the Atlantic and into the heart of Appalachia in “Baroque to Blue Ridge” on December 17 at 7:30 p.m. (Courthouse Square Ballroom, 1102 A St Suite 202-G, Tacoma, WA 98402) and December 18 at 2:00 p.m. (Pioneer Park Pavilion, 330 S. Meridian, Puyallup).
The family-friendly program lead by concertmaster Denise Dillenbeck and internationally acclaimed Scottish fiddler Brandon Vance opens with the popular “Holberg Suite” by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg. The five-movement suite is based on 18thcentury dance forms was originally composed for piano in 1884 and adapted by the composer shortly after into the string orchestra version performed by the sinfonietta.
Selections from English baroque-era composer Henry Purcell’s “The Fairy-Queen” follow. The so-called “semi-opera” by Purcell is an adaptation of the story from William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” first performed in 1692, only a few years before the composer’s death in 1695.
Two rousing works follow: Jennifer Sacher Wiley’s “Hanukkah Medley” and Brandon Vance’s “Gael Storm Set” for solo violin and string orchestra. Wiley’s medley utilizes unique string techniques to creatively present several traditional Hanukkah-themed melodies including “Who Can Retell,” “Sivivon Sov Sov Sov,” “Oh Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah” and the timeless Peter, Paul and Mary favorite “Light One Candle.”
Brandon Vance, who also performs as soloist “Gael Storm Set” is the youngest winner of the United States National Open Scottish Fiddling Championship winner (1999, 2001) and recipient of the 2017 Royal National Mòd “Sutherland Cup” in Scotland. He has performed and taught throughout the world, including as a guest lecturer at the University of Limerick’s Irish World Academy, as a guest artist at the William Kennedy Piping Festival and others. Vance is a founding member of the Celtic Ensemble Dreos and the World Music Ensemble Alchymeia.
Mark O’Connor’s “Appalachia Waltz” brings the program to a close, in an arrangement by the composer for string orchestra. The crowd-pleasing favorite which was originally composed for fiddle, cello and double bass trio, melds together traditional Appalachian and Scandinavian folk fiddling in a classical setting.
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 continues on January 28 and 29, 2023 with “Land(Wind)Fall” featuring works by Felix Mendelssohn, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Viet Cuong and Erich Korngold.
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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.