2016 Events Archive Table |
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NOVEMBER 2016
Windsong Players Chamber Ensemble
perform the
World-Premiere of
In Awe of Rain
for Soprano, Flute & Piano
Veronica Bell, Soprano
Alice Pero, Flute
Shushan Hakobyan, Piano
Ruben Aghiyan, Violin
Words by Alice Pero, Music by Carol Worthey
In Awe of Rain
If you would speak in awe of rain,
the misty dawn in breaking of day,
clouds forming in mystery
I could dissipate the smog
and tumble all the smokestacks down
If you would sing the flowers up
Your song
making rays of sunlight form
and wisps of ivy, jungles,
long hours of light,
I could whisper out
the packed-in dirt of cities,
blow away the chemicals
brought by men in pain,
fumes and smoke created there,
the distorted air
If you would speak in awe of rain.
— Alice Pero
If you would speak in awe of rain,
the misty dawn in breaking of day,
clouds forming in mystery
I could dissipate the smog
and tumble all the smokestacks down
If you would sing the flowers up
Your song
making rays of sunlight form
and wisps of ivy, jungles,
long hours of light,
I could whisper out
the packed-in dirt of cities,
blow away the chemicals
brought by men in pain,
fumes and smoke created there,
the distorted air
If you would speak in awe of rain.
— Alice Pero
What a resplendent concert full of jewels,
Telemann
,
Debussy
,
Rachmaninoff
,
Bloch
,
Piazzolla
,
Khatchaturian
... and
Worthey!
At the world-premiere of
In Awe of Rain
Nature itself came through to produce a veritable deluge of
rain that pounded rhythmically on the roof of the lovely
church like a welcome percussion section! It was magical!
You must understand that Greater Los Angeles had been going
through the saddest drought in its desert-clime history
— 165 days of unrelenting parched earth — and
miraculously, ever since Carol had sent her commissioned
score into flutist/poet
Alice Pero
, LA had suddently been graced with seven different
(non-consecutive) days of rain. Was this just accidental?
Carol Worthey
would like to think she must have tapped into some powerful
connection to the god or goddess of Rain! And so it was
that at the World-Premiere of
In Awe of Rain
it was a downpour, a deliriously needed rainfall, a mood
that brought the work alive and visceral!! Music and Magic
can intersect!
To say that the poem by
Alice Pero
, its colors, its message, its powerful and yet subtle
wordings came across to the audience is an understatement.
Soprano
Veronica Bell
(Yulia Ronskaya) sang it with radiance and expression,
Alice Pero
on flute and
Shushan Hakobyan
on piano rendered the shades of sunlight, shadows of
pollution and blessed drops of rain with lilting
interweavings. The audience LOVED it!
Violinist
Ruben Aghiyan
also played beautifully during other pieces in this
delightful concert.
Carol Worthey
can still recall all the moments of this joyous jewel of a
concert (in the perfect acoustics of the charming
Eagle Rock Convenant Church
) and how proud she is to work with this amazing new and
world-class group of musicians,
Windsong Players Chamber Ensemble
— don't miss any of their forthcoming concerts!
| PROGRAM | |
| Alice Pero, flute Ruben Aghiyan, violin Shushan Habokyan, piano | Sonata in C minor: Andante, Allegro Georg Phillip Telemann |
| Veronica Bell, soprano Shushan Habokyan, piano | Nuit d'etoiles Claude Debussy |
| Veronica Bell, soprano Shushan Habokyan, piano | In the Silence of the Night Sergei Rachmaninoff |
| Alice Pero, flute Shushan Habokyan, piano | Suite Modale: I. Moderato, II. L'estesso tempo, III. Allegro giocoso Ernest Bloch |
| Elsa Frausto, poet | Eight Poems Elsa Frausto |
| Ruben Aghiyan, violin Shushan Habokyan, piano | Fracanapa Astor Piazzolla |
| Carol Worthey | In Awe of Rain (Alice Pero, Poet) WORLD PREMIERE Veronica Bell, Soprano; Alice Pero, Flute; Shushan Hakobyan, Piano |
| Ruben Aghiyan, violin Shushan Habokyan, piano | Spartacus: Adagio Aram Khachaturian |
| Shushan Habokyan, piano | Sabre Dance Aram Khachaturian |
| Veronica Bell, soprano Ruben Aghiyan, violin Alice Pero, flute Shushan Habokyan, piano | Por Una Cabeza Carlos Gardel |
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NOVEMBER 2016
NACUSA Concert at Cal State University Dominguez Hills
featuring the World-Premiere of
Lament
for Alto Saxophone & Piano
Chika Inoue
, Saxophone
Mary Au
, Piano
Music by Carol Worthey
A rich assortment of contemporary compositions at California
State University Dominaguez Hills on November 16th, 2016 was
played with passionate heat and warmly received by the
audience there despite the freezing air-conditioning in the
recital hall. Nevertheless, it was a "hot" concert
for sure!
Carol Worthey
was excited that this was the world-premiere of her Alto
Saxophone/Piano transformation of
Lament
originally written for Viola and Piano years earlier
— Brilliant and beautiful Saxophonist
Chika Inoue
flowed emotionally powerful phrasing and gorgeous tone
into the nostalgic "sweet sadness" of the work,
and outstanding Pianist
Mary Au
wove iridescent harmonies around the wailing sax melodies!
The audience response was rewarding. Also gracing the
program (a partial list) were:
Watts 1965: A Remembrance
by
Deon Nielsen Price
,
Interlude
by
Mark Carlson
, and
Cicadia Suite
by
Adrienne Albert
of NACUSA–Los Angeles Chapter (National Association
of Composers USA).
The composer has these insights to reveal about what
motivated her in composing this piece: "The word
'lament' means a voicing of sadness, tied to poetry or song,
not held silent within. There are many shades of sadness,
stretching from all-out grief to a wistful mood akin to
nostalgia. One day, after speaking to a friend going through
a troublesome time, I began intoning a gentle wailing melody
that became the basis for this work. Lament expresses a
sweet and reflective sadness like the tender yearning one
feels when recalling a lost love. Listen as this wordless
song builds in intensity, culminating in soaring high notes.
Subtle harmonic weaving in the piano ends in a very low note
that I the composer harken to a shudder of
recognition."
Conceived originally for viola and piano,
Lament
was premiered in November 2009 by Grammy-nominated artists,
Violist
Karen Elaine
and Pianist
Nadia Shpachenko
at Cal Poly Pomona. In March 2010 Pianist
Mary Au
and Coloratura
Arietha Lockhart
performed
Vocalise: Lament
at
Faces of Eve
Concert in Manhattan.
Carol Worthey
was inspired from the first moment she heard the remarkable
duo—Saxophonist
Chika Inoue
and Pianist
Mary Au
— and feels honored that they asked her to transform
Lament
into a work for alto sax and piano. She believes this
version will have a long life of its own and bring solace
and peace to all who have experienced sorrow in their days.
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OCTOBER 2016
Alice Keys to Wonderland
Music-Art-Fusion Concerts
featuring
"Recipe for Mock Turtle Soup"
by Carol Worthey
Shenzhen, China
(near Hong Kong)
October 14 - 16, 2016
Music by Carol Worthey
Stanley Wong
, Pianist and originator of the
Alice Keys to Wonderland
Concert Series and Art Exhibit, sponsored the creation of
new music by fourteen renowned international composers,
pieces each inspired by a particular chapter in the classic
book Alice in Wonderland. This imaginative concept was
conceived in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the
captivating book.
Carol Worthey
's piece
Recipe for Mock Turtle Soup: A Four-Ingredient Piece
was born out of the droll and touching Chapter 9 when Alice
meets the Mock Turtle who can't stop weeping. This was the
chapter that
Stanley Wong
assigned to Carol. Knowing how this wonderful pianist and
mentor cares about inspiring and involving young talents
(both in music and art),
Carol Worthey
imagined a work that incorporates a Children's Choir, a
Narrator and Pianist who go through each "ingredient"
celebrating water (H
2
O), carrots and onions, "mock turtle" (which turns out to be
eggplant cut in cubes — no turtles were harmed in the
making of this soup or composition!) and the "secret
ingredient" (love). Carol created the lyrics, the piano
music, the narrated portions and the choral part, using
elements of humor, rhyme and a flavor of Lewis Carroll's
piquant flights of imagination into the very heart of
childhood.
All fourteen works were first premiered in Hong Kong in May
2016 — accompanied by a Young Artist Competition (
Carol Worthey
was one of four international Art Judges and the works were
truly extraordinary) and an Art Exhibit and splendid Tea
Party. The Children's Choir featured at the premiere was
from Hong Kong's Music Children's Foundation, which assists
to bring music skills and hope to disadvantaged children in
the Hong Kong area. The children singers were delightful,
the narrator
Sarah Martin
excellent, and
Stanley Wong
told
Carol Worthey
her piece was hugely well-received by all at the premier.
The art-music fusion of the event featured slides shown on
large screen during the music presentation or by original
art works by young and mature artists featured on stage or
in the lobby. The separate Art Exhibit and Tea Party also
contributed to the excitement generated by this event.
Carol herself created an art cover for the score of
Recipe for Mock Turtle Soup.
Following the Hong Kong world premiere,
Alice
was taken by
Stanley Wong
to Taipei Taiwan in July 2016. Again, the 14 new Alice
works, and in particular the performance by the Taipei
Children's Choir and narrator, received rousing ovations!
Now in October 2016 — from October 14th to the 16th
—
Stanley Wong
again brought the
Alice Keys to Wonderland
concept to Shenzhen, China in three concerts which touched
the lives of several thousand audience members and
performers. (Shenzhen is a city near Hong Kong which is a
renowned cultural center.)
Carol Worthey
is thrilled to find out that once again
Recipe for Mock Turtle Soup
was greeted with cheers, ovation and delight!! Along with
Pianist Stanley Wong, the Narrator was
"Rainbow"
and the children's chorus from Shenzhen featured members of
the
Shija Children's Choir.
The adorable children were dressed in their finest outfits
and very poised on stage.
Here you see photos of the October 16th concert in front of
a full house of families, adorable children and music
lovers! This kind of international People-to-People
Connection-through-Music (especially involving children, our
future) makes Carol very, very happy! Carol wishes to thank
Stanley Wong
, the narrator and all the amazing child singers and artists
involved in bringing
Alice
to life!
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SEPTEMBER 2016
Windsong Players Chamber Ensemble
Afternoon Concert Featuring
"I Will Build A House"
(for Soprano, Flute and Guitar)
Yulia Ronskaya,
Soprano
Alice Pero,
Flute
Shushan Hakobyan,
Piano
Vincent Reyes,
Guitar
Music by Carol Worthey
Words by S. A. DeWitt
An exquisite feast of music superbly performed with utmost
feeling and artistry by
Windsong Players Chamber Ensemble.
I am thrilled and honored that my setting of
I Will Build A House
(a beautiful poem by
Alice Pero
's grandfather
S. A. DeWitt
) for Soprano (
Veronica Bell
[
Yulia Ronskaya
], center), Flute (
Alice Pero
) and Guiltar (
Vincent Reyes,
left) was part of this world-class concert experience.
Shushan Hakobyan
(piano, in blue) and
Ruben Aghiyan
(Composer/Violinist, right) helped make this whole
afternoon one of the most well-programmed and gorgeous
concerts I can recall,
Schubert, Poulenc, Gluck, Villa Lobos
and
Piazolla!
Carol Worthey
loves being in such phenomenal company! This is truly a
chamber ensemble that is World-Class!
| PROGRAM | |
| Lois P. Jones | Her Poem Big Tujunga with accompaniment by Alice Pero, flute |
| Alice Pero, flute Shushan Habokyan, piano | Sonata Francis Polenc |
| Shushan Habokyan | Meditation Ruben Aghiyan |
| Carol Worthey | I Will Build A House (S. A. DeWitt, Poet) Veronica Bell, Soprano; Alice Pero, Flute; Vincent Reyes, Guitar (Second Performance) |
| Veronica Bell Alice Pero Shushan Habokyan | Der Hirt auf dem felsen (The Shepherd on the Rock) Franz Schubert |
| Alice Pero Shushan Habokyan | Lament from Orfeo Christoph von Gluck |
| Veronica Bell Vincent Reyes | Bachianas Brasilerias No. 5 Hector Villa-Lobos |
| Ruben Aghiyan, violin Shushan Habokyan, piano | Libertango Astor Piazzolla |
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MAY 2016
Artist Tea Party
Alice-in-Wonderland-inspired Artworks
by Talented Hong Kong children
Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of Lewis Carroll's classic
book
Stanley Wong, Sponsor
Carol Worthey, Honorable Judge
Sha Tin New Town, Hong Kong
www.ArtSkyStudio.com.hk
Featured the announcement of the Intermediate and Young
Artist Competition Winners in the
Alice in Wonderland
Art Competition celebrating the 150th anniversary of that
classic book.
Carol Worthey
was one of 4 Honorary Art Judges!
You can see a composite of some of the beautiful entries in
the picture, clicking on it will enlarge the picture for
easier viewing!
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MAY 2016
A Choral Calendar
Twelve Portraits of The Months
for SATB a cappella Choir
World Premiere
Unistus Chamber Choir
Lonnie Cline, Music Director & Conductor
Words & Music by Carol Worthey
The superb
Unistus Chamber Choir
has brought
A Choral Calendar
to Life At Last, under the direction of Celebrated
Conductor & Artistic Director
Lonnie Cline
in two Portland Area concerts at the First Christian
Church, 1314 S. W. Park Avenue, Portland OR (May 20th, 2016)
and Milwaukie Lutheran Church, 3810 S. E. Lake Road,
Wilwaukie, OR (May 22nd, 2016).
As composer
Carol Worthey
describes it, "These concerts world-premiering
A Choral Calendar
form a glow in my life that is unforgettable —
definitely one of the highlights of my life! The
world-premiere of this major work was long in coming but
totally a rapturous delight! You see, I wrote the poems
(celebrating the wonders, ironies and seasonal aspects of
each month) in one feverish day of creativity, and months
later I decided to set them for choir in a wide variety of
styles and moods, each month different, in textures and
musical colors quite challenging. As I composed it, I
designed it for a superb choir that had premiered a work by
me a few years earlier. I exuberantly added watercolor
portraits of each month to the score cover — I call
these 'Iconic Portraits.' "
"But no sooner had I completed the music and artwork then
the choir slated to perform the work ended up folding due to
financial troubles. My search for just the right choir and
director to take on this major work took nearly six years
but fortunately brought me to the attention of a choir
director respected throughout the world,
Lonnie Cline.
I'm very grateful to composer and friend
Ron Jones
(Star Trek, Family Guy) for personally taking the score to
Maestro Cline. (Ron went to jazz/arranging school with me
and believes in me.) Happily,
Lonnie Cline
immediately understood the subtleties and potential of
A Choral Calendar.
I was amazed when he called me and said, "I really
understand how you created the overall design as it moves
through various tonalities and emotions. I love this! My
Unistus Chamber Choir
is up for the challenge and is a really top-notch choir,
so... we'll DO IT!!" All in all, it took nearly six years
to find exactly the right choir but the wait was worth it!"
Carol continues, "Although I didn't want to take any
attention off the Choir as they performed the work, Lonnie
insisted I be part of the concert and read each month's poem
for the audience right before the choir performed each
piece. This turned out to be a brilliant idea because at
the Dress Rehearsal, hearing me read the poems, the Choir's
comprehension of the text soared and they felt ready to
really communicate to the audience — audience members
at the two concerts also told me that the poems came alive
for them when I read them. So I won't be reluctant to read
for an audience in the future — thank you, Lonnie!
Now I LOVE reading my poems to an audience."
"Wow! How do I describe in adequate words these two
concerts? (You'll just have to hear the recording... which
I expect to receive any day now and will post here.) The
two beautiful churches seemed all aglow when the Choir sang.
Lonnie Cline
's direction was brilliant, impassioned, technically and
artistically superb! The
Unistus Chamber Choir
brought out nuances in perfect intonation and balance.
They projected the meaning and power of each month's
portrait with delicious sonorities that gave me waves of
goosebumps! I will never forget the audience reaction: They
seemed to come alive! The ovations were instantaneous and
long. It was such a thrill to hear the music after six
years and such an honor to hear the comments from both
seasoned musicians and audience members! Definitely one of
the highlights of my entire life!! Thank you Unistus and
Maestro Cline and all the supportive people in the Portland
Oregon area who welcomed me so warmly!! I also want to thank
Lonnie and his devoted helpmeet,
Micki Cline,
for their great hospitality throughout our trip. Each and
every member of Unistus is now a friend. Thank you all!"
Here it is! You can
Listen to the Premiere Performance of
A Choral Calendar
by clicking the 'Play' buttons below. Enjoy!
/Webmaster
Unistus Chamber Choir:
www.Facebook.com/Unistus
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MAY 2016
Alice in Wonderland
Concert & Celebration
An Art & Music
Extravaganza
Celebrating the 150th
Anniversary of Lewis Carroll's classic book
World-Premiere of 'Recipe for Mock Turtle Soup:
A Four-Ingredient Piece' by composer Carol Worthey
(for Children's Chorus, Narrator and Solo Piano)
Stanley Wong, Piano
Sarah Martin, Narrator
Music by Carol Worthey
Sheung Wan Civic Center Theatre
Shen Wan, Hong Kong
上環文娛中心演講廳
Works by 14 international and renowned composers, each based
on a different chapter of the book
Alice in Wonderland
in honor of the 150th anniversary of this classic book made
the concert a unique and exciting event. A special delight
for the composer was that her idea to incorporate songs to
be sung by a children's choir — this concept ended up
utilizing the talents of children from Music Children
Foundation in Hong Kong. This foundation brings the
joy-of-music-making and the
strong-lifelong-purpose-to-follow-their-dreams to children
from underprivileged areas! The adorable choir did a
wonderful job singing the
Turtle Song
which is part of
Carol Worthey
's
Recipe.
Recipe for Mock Turtle Soup
for piano, children chorus & narrator (2016) creatively
composed by
Carol Worthey.
Beautiful performance of Children Choir from Music Children Foundation 音樂兒童基金會
Wonderful narration by Sarah Martin.
Lyrics:
Beautiful performance of Children Choir from Music Children Foundation 音樂兒童基金會
Wonderful narration by Sarah Martin.
Lyrics:
Turtles walk slowly.
They're shy and cute... and holy!
Turtles waddle back and forth,
Going East and West and South and North.
They've too much pride inside their hide
To want to slip and slosh and slide
Inside a bowl of SOUP!
So Eggplant serves them very well,
Cut in cubes that tend to swell.
[Narrator: And there's no shell]
It tastes like Turtle, so turtles tell —
And Eggplant is their Hero!
They're shy and cute... and holy!
Turtles waddle back and forth,
Going East and West and South and North.
They've too much pride inside their hide
To want to slip and slosh and slide
Inside a bowl of SOUP!
So Eggplant serves them very well,
Cut in cubes that tend to swell.
[Narrator: And there's no shell]
It tastes like Turtle, so turtles tell —
And Eggplant is their Hero!
Carol Worthey
was definitely in good company with works by
Judith Lang Zaimont
,
Boris Kozak
,
Vivian Adelberg Rudow
,
Erik Grisworld
,
Julie Kuok
,
Yi-De-Chen
,
Jules Pegram
,
Valerie Ettenauer
,
Jorge Torres Saenz
,
Karen Tanaka
,
Polina Nazaykinskaya
,
Kay He
and
Angelica Negron
. Highlighting the remarkable talents of young artists
(from 5 to 14 years of age) in the Hong Kong area, slides
were shown during the concert and art was displayed at the
concert venue. These truly imaginative and beautiful works
were entries in the Young Artist Competition. (Carol was
one of 4 Honorary Art Judges from various countries —
and was bowled over by the talent and creativity of these
young artists!)
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MAY 2016
Windsong Players Chamber Ensemble
World-Premiere of
"I Will Build A House"
(for Soprano, Flute and Guitar)
Yulia Ronskaya,
Soprano
Alice Pero,
Flute
Shushan Hakobyan,
Piano
Vincent Reyes,
Guitar
Music by Carol Worthey
Words by S. A. DeWitt
I Will Build A House
Out of laughter,
Out of love and song,
And stuff that is humble.
My house will rise
And last long,
Long after
The granite palaces tumble.
I will build a house
Out of song,
Without doors, without bars,
With walls as strong
As winds are strong,
And a roof of black shingles
Nailed with stars.
— S. A. DeWitt, published 1922
Out of laughter,
Out of love and song,
And stuff that is humble.
My house will rise
And last long,
Long after
The granite palaces tumble.
I will build a house
Out of song,
Without doors, without bars,
With walls as strong
As winds are strong,
And a roof of black shingles
Nailed with stars.
— S. A. DeWitt, published 1922
A full house listened in awe and rapture as one beautiful
work after the other was performed to the highest standards.
The Garden Pavilion in Hollywood, overlooking waterfalls and
flowers, seemed the perfect setting to welcome May Day!
The rich, expressive voice of soprano
Yulia Ronskaya,
the lyrical sweetness of
Alice Pero
's flute-playing and
Vincent Reyes
' sensitive renderings on guitar joined together to really
communicate the poem
I Will Build A House
(a profound and moving poem by Alice's grandfather
S. A. DeWitt)
that
Carol Worthey
set to a flowing melody and interweaving harmonies. Ms.
Pero commissioned the work.
A proud moment indeed as the composer joined the performers
for a bow.
The entire concert was radiant and one of the best concerts
Carol Worthey
has heard in recent years. An auspicious new beginning for
this delightful group, Windsong Players Chamber Ensemble and
for a May that is absolutely unparalleled for the composer
Worthey.
The concert also featured works by
Arutiunian
,
Saint-Saens
and
Poulenc
performed by the Windsong Players Chamber Ensemble
including
Shushan Hakobyan
, Outstanding Pianist
You can watch a video of the premiere performance below:
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JANUARY 2016
I Could Get Used to This Expertise and Artistry
Southeast Symphony
Thursday,
January 14th, 2016
A review by Carol Worthey
Went to an absolutely stupendous concert tonight!!!
Southeast Symphony's masterful conductor/music director
Anthony R. Parnther
(who didn't miss a cue with some of the best conducting
I've ever seen — and I mean this! and I've seen
Bernstein, Munch, Dudamel and Szell among others) is
completely at one with the music, on top of everything,
precise but so expressive in a work that is breathtakingly
difficult every step of the way. Honestly, now I know why
Parnther's charisma is so genuine — he's the Real
Deal. What's all the fuss about?
Wynton Marsalis'
"Fiddler's Tale"
with brilliant
Alyssa Park
, Violin, outstanding narrator
Nic Few
, and six other amazing instrumentalists the likes of which
could perform in any top concert hall in the world. By
rights I should name them all. Okay, here goes:
Jonathan Sacdalan
, Clarinet,
Alex Rosales Garcia
, Bassoon,
Aaron Smith
, Cornet,
Daniel Lawlor
, Trombone,
Sidney Hopson
, Percussion,
Jonathan Richards
, Bass --- everyone so good they're scary. The music fuses
recollections of Stravinsky's
"Soldier's Tale"
(which Marsalis has brought up to date) with touches of
Darius Milhaud and Piazolla, contrapuntal mixes of ragtime,
blues, bebop, big band, country fiddle, bluegrass and Webern
atonality at times — it's rhythmically and
harmonically a scintillating stewpot of classical and jazz
that works to tell a tale of lost artistry, temptation and
(possibly) redemption. Ultimately,
"Fiddler's Tale"
ends up whimsical, tongue in cheek, not taking itself too
seriously while charming the audience with hints at higher
(or lower as in "devilish") soul-searching. The storyline
also has relevance to musicians everywhere who strive to
keep their artistic ntegrity but may be lured into selling
out for fame and fortune by money-grubbing music industry
"peddlers to the public". Maybe Marsalis has fought that
battle himself, but I'd wager he's won. I don't know who the
writer is (might be Marsalis, not sure) but the Narrator Nic
Few was riveting, bowled-over with vibrant distinctions of 3
characters. If I could say only one thing I could have
wanted in Marsalis' vision, it might have had a bit more
lyricism at times in the violin part, which pretty much
stuck to its role as "Fiddler." That aside, Ms. Park was
athletically and aesthetically ready for all the runs and
twists and turns in her part — it's a great violin
"role", so forget my occasional longing for a bit more
violin-emoting and vibrato (read, lyricism). The audience
rose in a full-house standing ovation. I honestly
experienced one of the best concerts of recent years.
Southeast Symphony delivers — their next concert will
be February 14th, 2016
"An American Legacy"
— and on May 22nd, I honestly wish I could be in two
places at once because Southeast takes on
"Carmina Burana"
with a huge chorus and orchestra and soloists including
great
Darryl Taylor
.... but I'll be up in Oregon experiencing a huge
world-premiere of my
"A Choral Calendar"
with superb Unistus Chamber Choir , under direction of
Lonnie Cline
. I could get used to this kind of EXPERTISE and ARTISTRY!!
Thursday, January 14th, 2016
after a concert at Shatto Chapel at
First Congregational Church
540 S. Commonwealth Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
after a concert at Shatto Chapel at
First Congregational Church
540 S. Commonwealth Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
See also:
www.SoutheastSymphony.com
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JANUARY 2016
How to Start The Year Off Right!
NACUSA-LA-Music Alive!
New Year Celebration Concert at the Ranch
Saturday,
January 9th, 2016
You know when you have an audience bowled over: People's
eyes grow as big as their smiles, some guests pull out their
checkbook to make voluntary contributions they are so
impressed, there's a certain electric pleasure in the air
and the audience never coughs once! That was the case at
this concert of top professional performers and a
delightfully wide variety of home-grown (Los
Angeles-produced) compositions ranging from contemporary
classical (from passionate Cuban to charming fairy-tale
miniatures to stunning saxophone or vocalist and beyond) to
ethnic fusion to elegant jazz. To set the event off with
style and grace, renowned poet
Alice Pero
read three charming poems from her chapbook
"Thawed Stars."
Alice is also a gifted flutist as you will see.
One of the pleasures of a composer is not simply to have a
work world-premiered with panache, but to see it have a
"life", to get multiple performances, well-performed and
well-received. That was the case when poet/flutist
Alice Pero
(who commissioned the work) rendered the second performance
of
"Quatrain"
for Solo Flute. This piece has a distinctive Japanese, and
evocative, meditational feel rather unique in
Carol Worthey
's repertoire. In essence, it is similar to a haiku in that
each melodic fragment is like a well-chosen word that leads
to piquant "word-phrases," Built in four short movements
(from which the title
"Quatrain"
[meaning "four stanza poem"] is taken) the middle two
movements take the simplicity and haunting quality of the
first movement and move into very virtuosic runs,
elaborating the potential of the melody. The final "verse"
(movement) returns to the meditational mood of the beginning
but ends in a long reverberating note... as if the piece
really wasn't ending. Alice really brought out all these
moods.
Each work on the program was a refreshing change from the
one before until the entire program was rounded out with a
lovely potluck reception. NACUSA-LA has new life in that
Grammy-winning composer and guitarist/pianist
Yalil Guerra
has taken on the post of Chapter President — the new
staff was introduced by our always congenial hostess (a past
President of NACUSA and a great composer and friend)
Deon Nielsen Price.
Her home is so welcoming. May I say in total sincerity
that this is one of the best music-salon concerts I've ever
been to or participated in!! Here is the lineup of
composers and performers, each selection really
extraordinary!
| PROGRAM | |
| Alice Pero | Three Poems from Thawed Stars |
| Yalil Guerra | Amor (Love) Amanda Squitieri (voice), Bryan Pezzone (piano) |
| Deon Nielsen Price | Watts 1965: A Remembrance Barricades—Curfew—Aftermath Chika Inoue (soprano & alto saxophonist), Mary Au (piano) |
| Matthew Hetz | Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello Maksim Velichkin (cello) |
| Adrienne Albert | Climate Change Temperature Rising-Ice Melting-Windmills Chika Inoue (saxophonist), Mary Au (piano) |
| Carol Worthey | Quatrain for Solo Flute Alice Pero (flute) |
| Daniel Robbins | Pastorale The Prince and the Princess Composer (piano) |
| Philip James Gilberti | Lonely Faith Composer (piano) |
| Richard Derby | Isolation Mary Palchak (flute) |
| Igor Kogan | Song Without Words Vocalise #1 Trio: Amy K. Bormet (voice, piano), Konstantine Jemel (trumpet, flugelhorn), Igor Kogan (bass) |
What a great way to start the year off in STYLE and ENERGY
and INSPIRATION!!
See also:
www.Music-USA.org/nacusa-la
