FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Northwest Sinfonietta presents free ‘Close-Up’ neighborhood concerts Mar. 31, Apr. 14
By Zachary C. Person
Media contact: Karin Choo, Northwest Sinfonietta
TACOMA, Wash. – The Northwest Sinfonietta presents two “Close-Up Concerts” this spring in collaboration with community arts partners. The free hour-long “neighborhood performances” will be held on Thursday, March 31 at the Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center (T.U.P.A.C.) (1105 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Tacoma) and on Thursday, April 14 at Mt. Tahoma High School (4634 S. 74th St., Tacoma).
Both concerts begin at 6:00 p.m. and are free and open to all. Advance registration is requested but not required. To learn more or register in advance, visit: www.nwsinfonietta.org.
“Song & Dance” on March 31 features a chamber ensemble from the Northwest Sinfonietta, and dancers from T.U.P.A.C. and Tacoma’s Sabor Flamenco. The program includes variations on “Black Noir Black” and juxtaposes works by prominent Black composers William Grant Still (“Lyric Quartet”), Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de Saint-Georges (a movement from his second symphony), Jessie Montgomery’s “Strum” and a looping cello work by Gretchen Yanover with the well-known “La Musica della Strade di Madrid” by Italian classical-era composer Luigi Boccherini and Aaron Copland’s “At the River” from his second set of American songs.
“Pictures in Song” on April 14 features soloist Denise Dillenbeck, concertmaster of the Northwest Sinfonietta, a chamber ensemble of musicians from the sinfonietta, and the Mt. Tahoma High School orchestra directed by Emily Golan. The Mt. Tahoma High School orchestra will perform two works side-by-side with members of the Northwest Sinfonietta.
“It has been such a great experience having Northwest Sinfonietta musicians work with my students,” says Golan, “and we are all excited about the upcoming concert. It will definitely be something they never forget!”
The spring-themed program includes “Flowering Jasmine” by Latvian composer Georgs Pelēcis; the popular “Spring” from Antonio Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”; and two works by Astor Piazzolla: “Primavera Porteña” from the “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires” and an arrangement “Oblivion” for string orchestra.
Concertmaster and violin soloist Denise Dillenbeck also serves as concertmaster of the Yakima Symphony Orchestra (Yakima, Washington), the Lake Chelan Bach Festival (Chelan, Wash.) and the York Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania. Dillenbeck has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Oregon Symphony and Baltimore Symphony, and has served as concertmaster for orchestras in Germany and England.
The Northwest Sinfonietta 2021-2022 season continues April 29 and May 1 with “Archipelago” featuring Cuban cross-over pianist Aldo López-Gavilán and concludes on May 21-22 with “In Place and Time” featuring flute soloist Demarre McGill and conductor Mei-Ann Chen in a program of works by Esmail, Rodrigo and Mozart
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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