We're getting close to the end of the Shostakovich String Quartet cycle - number 14 out of 15, and it's a gorgeous one! Violinists Natasha Bazhanov (latest violin addition to the Seattle Symphony!), Artur Girsky and Mikhail Shmidt join me and Rowena Hammill for a roundabout tour of 20th Century European music - Jean Françaix's (France) quirky circus music-like String Trio, Zoltán Kodály's Serenade for 2 violins and viola (Hungary), and some charming characters studies by Italian avant-garde virtuoso Luciano Berio (never fear, these pieces are imminently digestible). We hope to see you on the Solstice!
Sunday, June 21 at 7:30 pm Kenyon Hall 7904 35th Ave SW West Seattle RESERVATIONS ARE ENCOURAGED! kenyonhall@earthlink.net
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This Sunday, April 5th, Club Shostakovich is back with an all-Russian program featuring the gorgeous soprano Jennifer Krikawa singing Russian ART* songs. The Girsky Quartet performs Prokofiev's rousing Second String Quartet. Rowena Hammill, Blayne Barnes, Artur Girsky and I perform the dark and brooding Shostakovich Thirteenth String Quartet, dedicated to the violist of the Beethoven Quartet, who premiered most of Shostakovich's quartets. Cellist Douglas Davis joins us for some lovely Rachmaninov pieces. 7:30 PM at the Royal Room in Columbia City. Come early for dinner: though there's no cover, reservations for a table are recommended. Call 206 906 9920 for a reservation. *Arensky, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky --- check out our Facebook event page for more.
Over two years in the making, we are finally about to roll out our first version (concert version, not staged yet) of The Ballad of Ishtar, a contemporary opera. January 22, 23 and 24 at the Chapel Performance Space. We are deeply indebted to Nonsequitur for sponsoring us, and to our donors who have contributed through the nifty arts-advocacy group Fractured Atlas (where we are still accepting donations towards artists' fees - support an artist today!!) Please see the adjacent page for all kinds of artist profiles and some background on the work. We hope to see you there. Tickets are selling already - available at Brown Paper Tickets
Many thanks to Tim Pearson for this beautiful little video from our rehearsals...Britten Sarabande... Tix are available for our inaugural performances Nov. 23 and 24 through the NOCCO website: www.nocco.org. See you there! My colleagues Victoria Parker, Blayne Barnes, Eli Weinberger and Matt McGrath are founding a conductorless chamber orchestra! This is a passion project that's an outgrowth of our great experiences collaborating with many musicians at Club Shostakovich. We are phenomenally excited to bring you a whole orchestra of instrumentalists with BIG EARS and an acute sense of the beauty of the moment. Check out our soloist, Mark Salman and get ready for a new orchestral odyssey from Northwest composer Roupen Shakarian. We could not be more thrilled about this project!! Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets search on NOCCO and our two events, Sunday and Monday, will come up.
New tunes from Jim Knapp plus a premiere from guest composer Brendon Williams! Our 17 member improvising string orchestra (which includes harp and electric guitar) kicks off the 2015/16 season hosted by the cultural treasure that is the Wayward Music Series. 4649 Sunnyside Ave N in Seattle. Near Seattle Tilth, up on the 4th floor. Sliding scale donation $5 - $15. And I get to play the violin!!
Friends from the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra are coming North! They'll join Rowena for Benjamin Britten's 1st Quartet, while Trio Pardalote and Blayne Barnes do the honors for Shostakovich's 12th Quartet. This means there are only 4 quartets left in the cycle. I am already feeling nostalgic. Reservations are encouraged at kenyonhall@earthlink.net. $5 - $14 with multiple discounts applying. www.triopardalote.com and www.kenyonhall.org
Collaborating with Julia Tai! Franco Donatoni's Tema for chamber ensemble and other 20th Century gems. June 13 and 15th. http://www.seattlemodernorchestra.org/ Here's the Seattle Modern Orchestra from a few years ago, performing John Adams' Shaker Loops. That's me playing violin next to the Concertmaster, Lauren Roth, who has since become Concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra! I'll be playing in the pocket orchestra for the great Vashon Opera's current production of Massenet's Werther. May 16th - 8 pm and May 18th - 2:30 pm. https://www.vashonopera.org/ Here is the dashing Wesley Rogers in the title role.
We loved Shostakovich's Tenth String Quartet so much that we're playing it again! Friday, May 9th at Kenyon Hall - 7904 35th Ave SW in West Seattle. 7:30 pm. Tix $5 - $14 at kenyonhall@earthlink.net
Also on the program: the great English composer/violist Rebecca Clarke's Prelude, Allegro and Pastorale for Clarinet and Viola with the sublime artist Sean Osborn. Finishing with one of our favorites - Brahms' Sextet in G Major. Artur Girsky, Natasha Bazhanov, Timothy Christie, Heather Bentley, Douglas Davis and Rowena Hammill. |
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