MEMETERIA by Thomas May

Music & the Arts

February 26, 2025 • 9:53 am Comments Off on “Canon for Racial Reconciliation”

“Canon for Racial Reconciliation”

This weekend brings another of my picks for the first few months of 2025: Cappella Romana presents the world premiere of the complete Canon for Racial Reconciliation, a collaboration between composers Isaac Cates and Nicholas Reeves that fuses the sound worlds of Orthodox and Gospel church music.

Cates and Reeves have set a remarkable poem in the form of an ancient Byzantine canon written by Dr. Carla Thomas, one of the leaders of the Fellowship of St. Moses the Black, whose mission is “to share the Orthodox Christian faith with African Americans and people of color.”

Combining two choirs – each coming from Orthodox and Gospel traditions, respectively – Canon also calls for violin, trumpet, guitar, piano, a Hammond B-3 organ, and pre-recorded sound samples of sermons and related material.

James Bash has written an excellent preview for Oregon.live here, which includes this observation from co-composer Nicholas Reeves: “This piece was not a response to anything specific that is happening at the moment. It touches on issues that have been part of America for a long, long time. There are no political positions in the piece. The Canon of Racial Reconciliation comes from a compassionate and reconciliatory perspective. It recognizes misdeeds and violence and justice and tries to find a way forward that moves everyone ahead. The goal is healing in America. We move ahead even when there is no forgiveness or justice present. The music is an expression of mutual and peaceful co-existence.”

Performances are Friday 28 February at 7.30pm at Town Hall in Seattle and Saturday 1 March at 7.30pm at First United Methodist Church in Portland. Go here for tickets or call 503-236-8202 (use the code CANON for a 20% discount in advance). There will be a conversation with the composers and conductors right before the performances (free with registration).

Filed under: Cappella Romana, music news, , , , ,

February 10, 2025 • 7:39 pm Comments Off on Seattle Opera Announces 2025-26 Season

Seattle Opera Announces 2025-26 Season

Today Seattle Opera announced the lineup for the company’s first full season with General and Artistic Director James Robinson at the helm.

I’m especially pleased to see Gregory Spears’s Fellow Travelers – more timely than ever – among the three company premieres. Last summer’s Santa Fe Opera season included The Righteous, a collaboration between Spears and poet Tracey K. Smith, and the production knocked me out. Fellow Travelers is set during the McCarthy era and is based on the Thomas Mallon novel about the “Lavender Scare” that affected workers in the federal government.

Budget tightening obviously plays a big role here, but the rest of the season is quite a mixed bag:  Seattle Opera’s first venture into Gilbert & Sullivan territory with The Pirates of Penzance; a Richard Strauss rarity, Daphne, but in concert format, which will star Heidi Stober as the mythic protagonist and with David Afkham conducting; and the perennial Carmen, which will star Sasha Cooke in her role debut (alternating with J’Nai Bridges in one of her signature parts). Another plus: Ludovic Morlot will conduct.

So we’re now done to just four mainstage productions, one of them in concert format, and no more season opener in August – when the Ring used to be the center of attention, so long ago.

Here’s the complete program:

Performance Information (see full cast lists at seattleopera.org)

The Pirates of Penzance
Music by Arthur Sullivan

Libretto by W.S. Gilbert
Conducted by David Charles Abell
Directed and Choreographed by Seán Curran
October 18, 19, 24, 26, 28, 29, November 1, 2025
McCaw Hall (321 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109)
seattleopera.org/pirates

Gay Apparel: A Holiday Show

December 12 & 13, 2025
The Opera Center (363 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109)
seattleopera.org/gayapparel

Daphne in Concert
Music by Richard Strauss
Libretto by Joseph Gregor
January 16 & 18, 2026
McCaw Hall (321 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109)
seattleopera.org/daphne

Fellow Travelers

Music by Gregory Spears
Libretto by Greg Pierce

Conducted by Patrick Summers
Directed by Kevin Newbury

February 21, 22, 25, 27, 28, & March 1, 2026
The Opera Center (363 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109)
seattleopera.org/fellowtravelers

Carmen
Music by George Bizet

Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
Conducted by Ludovic Morlot
Directed and Choreographed by Paul Curran
May 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, & 17, 2026
McCaw Hall (321 Mercer St, Seattle, WA 98109)
seattleopera.org/carmen

Filed under: music news, Seattle Opera, , , , ,

February 4, 2025 • 1:34 pm Comments Off on Mozart and the Fortepiano

Mozart and the Fortepiano

replica of a Viennese fortepiano built by Rodney Regier that will be used for the Mozart concertos

A week after its sold-out immersion in Winterreise with baritone Charles Robert Stephens (on Schubert’s birthday), Seattle Chamber Orchestra presents a program exploring the fortepiano – the kind of keyboard Mozart knew.

Mozart had to carve out his own path as a freelance artist in Vienna during the final decade of his career. He relied on his reputation as a celebrity virtuoso to cultivate a core audience, largely through his dazzlingly inventive series of piano concertos (as we call them), which he typically premiered in subscription concerts that doubled as crucial fundraising opportunities.

Conductor and pianist Lorenzo Marasso, SCO’s founder and music director, has curated a program around two of these concertos, which will be performed using a fortepiano: K. 449 in E-flat major and K. 488 in A major, with Tamara Friedman and Marasso as the soloists. He will also conduct SCO in Mozart’s Divertimento in D major, K133, and the great G minor Symphony, K. 550.

“A fortepiano is an early piano,” Marasso explains. “In principle, the word fortepiano can designate any piano dating from the invention of the instrument by Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1698 up to the early 19th century. Most typically, however, it is used to refer to the mid-18th- to early-19th-century Viennese instruments, for which composers of the Classical era, especially Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, wrote their piano music.”

The concertos will be performed on a replica of just such a Viennese fortepiano, which was built by Rod Regier and is borrowed from the collection of historical keyboards of Prof. George Bozarth and Tamara Friedman. 

The concert will be held on 7 February 2025 at Plymouth United Church of Christ in downtown Seattle (1217 6th Ave). A pre-concert talk will take place at 7:15pm; the performance begins at 8pm. Admission includes the pre-concert talk and the performance, accompanied by drinks and appetizers. Tickets here.

PROGRAM:

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART 

Divertimento in D major K133

Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-flat major K449

Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major K488

Symphony No. 40 in G minor K550

Tamara Friedman fortepiano
Lorenzo Marasso fortepiano & conductor
Seattle Chamber Orchestra

Seattle Chamber Orchestra provides this bio:

The newly formed SCO is rooted in our cherished Pacific Northwest’s casual and open culture and brings together the region’s top instrumentalists to create an all-sensory experience of music where you are invited to be part of the experience rather than merely witnessing it. Founded in 2021, the Seattle Chamber Orchestra seeks to bring music lovers tantalizing combinations of the traditional and contemporary repertoire, performed by world-class professional musicians. Brought to life through thoughtful programming that educates as much as it inspires, SCO seeks to reinvigorate live classical music by providing opportunities for musicians and audiences to explore traditional and new music and challenge established boundaries.

Filed under: Mozart, music news, piano, Seattle Chamber Orchestra, , , , ,

January 23, 2025 • 5:14 pm Comments Off on Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Winter Festival 2025

Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Winter Festival 2025

Friday night is the opening concert of Seattle Chamber Music Society‘s Winter Festival 2025 (over this weekend and next). Some wonderful programs to look forward to: Brahms Op. 34; a fecund piano quintet by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, written when he was 18 (SCT is represented on this weekend’s Seattle Symphony program as well); Bartók’s Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion; Enescu’s Octet; Rebecca Clarke’s Viola Sonata; Schoenberg’s “Verklärte Nacht” in the original sextet version (with James Ehnes in the ensemble, and more.

complete program

Filed under: music news, Seattle Chamber Music Society

January 17, 2025 • 7:48 pm 1

Krishna Thiagarajan to Depart Seattle Symphony

Seattle Symphony released a bombshell announcement this afternoon:

The Seattle Symphony and Benaroya Hall today announced that Dr. Krishna Thiagarajan, President & CEO, will resign after six and a half years of dedicated service to the organization. His last day will be April 30, 2025.   

“It’s been a deeply fulfilling experience to work with all the talented and dedicated people at the Seattle Symphony, Benaroya Hall and its foundation,” stated Dr. Thiagarajan. “Leading the organization through COVID, the rebuilding of audiences and the historic appointment of Xian Zhang as the first female and woman of color Music Director have been some of the highlights of my time here.”   

… The Symphony board of directors is forming a search committee to launch an international search for Dr. Thiagarajan’s successor. While the Seattle Symphony begins its search for its next President & CEO, Maria Yang, Chief Development and Project Officer, will serve as Acting CEO to ensure a smooth transition. 

Filed under: music news, Seattle Symphony, , , , ,

January 10, 2025 • 3:47 am Comments Off on PostClassical Ensemble Presents Music by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate

PostClassical Ensemble Presents Music by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate

PostClassical Ensemble continues its Amazing Grace New Year’s tradition on Monday, 13 January, with a chamber program saluting the music of Native American composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate. The concert takes place at 7:30 pm ET at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater.

“This annual event celebrates the universal expression of the human spirit through music, inviting a living composer to curate a concert designed to uplift and inspire,” says PCE artistic director Angel Gil-Ordóñez.

The program includes Tate’s Chokfi’ for strings and percussion; selections from his rhapsodic Standing Bear: A Ponca Indian Cantata (performed by baritone Javier Arrey);  Hymn and Spider Brings Fire from Lowak Shoppala’ (Fire and Light), a work expressing Tate’s Chickasaw heritage through music, to texts by poet Linda Hogan. The concert will also feature the Larghetto from Prokofiev’s Symphony no. 1 (“Classical”) and Samuel Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (performed by Mvskoke soprano Kirsten C. Kunkle).
tickets here

Filed under: music news, PostClassical Ensemble

January 6, 2025 • 7:53 am Comments Off on Inauguration of the Seattle Bach Festival

Inauguration of the Seattle Bach Festival

From left: Debra Nagy, Tekla Cunningham, Danielle Reutter-Harrah, David Morris, Tyler Duncan and Ross Gilliland perform at the Whidbey Island Music Festival, founded and directed by Cunningham. Cunningham is also founder and director of the new… (Dennis Browne)

The brilliant violinist, artistic director, and educator Tekla Cunningham has been extra-busy of late laying the groundwork for a promising new venture that launches this weekend. I had the privilege to speak with Tekla about the inspiration behind the Seattle Bach Festival:

For Tekla Cunningham, music happens in the connections — not only between the notes but between the humans who produce and experience them. …
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Filed under: Bach, early music, music news, Seattle Times

January 4, 2025 • 8:07 am Comments Off on 8 Seattle Classical Music Picks To Look Forward to in 2025

8 Seattle Classical Music Picks To Look Forward to in 2025

In March, Xian Zhang will conduct Seattle Symphony in Gustav Holst’s “The Planets” — her first program with the orchestra since she was announced as its next music director. (Courtesy Seattle Symphony)

Here’s a brief list of suggestions — far from exhaustive — for Seattle area music lovers for the first months of 2025:

Stepping into a new year means embracing its promises but also facing its challenges. Fortunately, the performing arts offer a reliably inspiring source of motivation. Following are some recommendations — by no means exhaustive — of classical music events to mark on your calendar for the coming months. May you find them inspirational in the new year….
continue

Filed under: early music, music news, Seattle Symphony, Seattle Times

December 11, 2024 • 9:00 am Comments Off on OPrak, New York’s First Disability-Affirmative Opera Company

OPrak, New York’s First Disability-Affirmative Opera Company

From the OPrak press release:

New York’s first disability-affirmative opera company OperaPraktikos.org (OPrak) presents There Will Be Cake – a matinee mono-opera concert series on Thursday-Saturday, 12-14 December 2024, at 1:30 p.m., at downtown Manhattan’s Asylum NYC.

Opera Praktikos (OPrak), established in 2021, proudly stands as New York City’s pioneering disability-affirmative opera company. Its mission is to make opera an inclusive and accessible art form for audiences and artists alike by crafting exceptional opera productions that transcend conventional barriers related to class, economic status, and physical challenges.

Through deliberate reinterpretations of classical operas and the commissioning of new works, it aims to ensure that artists and audience members can readily identify with the stories and lived experiences of People with Disabilities being portrayed on the stage. OPrak is dedicated to breaking down stereotypes about disability and fostering an inclusive and accessible opera community in the heart of New York City.

With performances by abled and disabled artists, this site-specific musical drama centers around food and its visceral memories and emotions. Bon Appetit! shares Julia Child’s words of wisdom in a light-hearted, charming masterclass in comedic character singing followed by the world premiere of Fluffernutter, an opera inspired by the delicious Fluffernutter sandwich.

“Two slices of Americana to perk up any jaded New Yorker’s palette: that ineffable cook Julia Child makes a French chocolate cake; and a tasty New England staple reminds us that aging is hard,” explains Greg Moomjy, musicologist and co-founder/artistic director of OPrak. A man who has Cerebral Palsy and is a wheelchair user, Moomjy invites New Yorkers with and without disabilities to unite over their shared interest in live music and dessert. When assembling this program, we wanted to give audiences small samplings of comic opera performed by top-notch singers at an accessible venue. And, yes, we will also serve cake!”

The program begins with Lee Hoiby’s Bon Appetit! (1989), adapted from two episodes of Julia Child’s well-loved cooking show, The French Chef. With approval and input from Child herself, a friend of the composer, the libretto narrates Child’s cooking of a chocolate cake with clever lines such as “Choc’late is much more complicated than any of us suspect.” Reflecting the television show’s format, the opera is written for a single singer, performed here by Hailey McAvoy, a “gorgeous-voiced (Broadway World)” mezzo-soprano with Cerebral Palsy. Another “sweet” mono-opera is the world premiere of Fluffernutter (2024) inspired by the New England tasty treat. Composer Spicer Carr is a queer, autistic writer who was commissioned by OPrak to write Fluffernutter with libretto by OPrak’s co-founder Marianna Mott Newirth. Fluffernutter evokes the trials of adulting and the power of nostalgia all thanks to the classic peanut butter-marshmallow crème sandwich.

Program + Ticketing Information:
Thursday-Saturday, December 12-14, 2024, at 1:30 p.m.
Asylum NYC, 123 East 24th Street, New York City, Subway: 4/6 to 23rd Street.
Tickets: $10-$35 (ages 16+ only). Livestream (Saturday only) $10-$35. To reserve, visit AsylumTix.com or call 212.203.5435.

Cast + Crew:
Hailey McAvoy – mezzo-soprano
Shanley Horvitz – zwischenfach
Calvin Hitchcock – piano + music director
Gwynn MacDonald – stage director

Program:
Bon Appetit! composed by Lee Hoiby (1926-2011) with text by Julia Child adapted by 
Mark Shulgasser
Fluffernutter (2024) **world premiere** composed by Spicer Carr with libretto by Marianna Mott Newirth and piano arr. by Patrick Tice-Carroll

Filed under: music news, opera

November 16, 2024 • 4:02 pm Comments Off on Legends of Brazil: A Musical Celebration of 200 Years

Legends of Brazil: A Musical Celebration of 200 Years

André Mehmari, Angel Gil-Ordóñez, and the PostClassical Ensemble

This year marks the 200th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and Brazil. To celebrate the bicentennial, Postclassical Ensemble (PCE) will showcase two centuries of music from South America on 19 and 20 November at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater.

The program ranges from the earliest known works by composers native to Brazil to a world premiere commission by pianist-composer André Mehmari. Curator Flávio Chamis (a composer, conductor, and educator) and guest artists Lucas Ashby (percussion), Tatjana Mead Chamis (viola), and Elin Melgarejo (vocalist) join Mehmari and artistic director and conductor Ángel Gil-Ordóñez for this panoramic view of Brazilian concert music.

“The program includes a tempestuous classical overture by José Maurício Nunes, the modern and US premiere of Francisco Mignone’s Quadros Amazônicos (an orchestral suite based on myths from the Amazon), Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Bachiana Brasileiras no. 4, a set of popular Brazilian songs performed by DC’s Elin Melgarejo, and chamber music featuring Latin GRAMMY-nominated violist Tatjana Mead Chamis.”

Related free events:

Thursday, November 14 at 6pm: PCE Prelude, a free conversation at Georgetown University (and live-streamed) previewing the concerts. (Registration required)

‍(SOLD OUT) Friday, November 15, at 12:30pm: guest artist André Mehmari gives a free performance as part of Georgetown University’s Friday Music Series. (Registration required)

PROGRAM:

Legends of Brazil: A Musical Celebration for 200 Years of Friendship

Tue. Nov. 19, 2024 7:30p.m

Wed. Nov. 20, 2024 7:30p.m

Terrace Theater | The Kennedy Center | 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC

Presented without intermission

‍Flávio Chamis, guest curator

Lucas Ashby, percussion

Tatjana Mead Chamis, viola

André Mehmari, piano and composer

Elin Melgarejo, vocalist

PostClassical Ensemble conducted by Angel Gil-Ordóñez

Zequinha de Abreu arr. Jamberê Cerqueira: Tico-Tico no Fubá
Padre José Maurício Nunes Garcia: Zemira
André Mehmari: Sonata for Viola

Francisco Mignone: Selection from Tres Valsas Brasileiras
Francisco Mignone: Saci and Caapora from Quadros Amazônicos
Brazilian popular songs arranged for voice and chamber orchestra: Odeón, One Note Samba, Labrinto, Samba em Preludio

Heitor Villa-Lobos: Preludio from Bachiana Brasileiras no. 4

André Mehmari: Rag Chorado. A Celebratory Humoreske (world premiere work for piano and orchestra)

Complete list of events with program notes here.

Filed under: music news, PostClassical Ensemble

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