The Seattle Symphony has finally found a principal cellist. The spot has been vacant for years. Joining the section will be Efe Baltacıgil. Baltacigil comes from the Philadelphia Orchestra where he is the associate principal cellist. This is a good selection for the SSO, and it says much about the optimism many people in the…

By R.M. Campbell When Gerard Schwarz first came to Seattle, in 1983, he was not going to stay. Music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, he was about to launch himself in the world of major orchestras. The Seattle Symphony Orchestra must have seemed like dull pickings. But no other invitations were immediately forthcoming,…

Seattle Opera released the details of their next Ring Cycle and Meistersinger, Seattle Opera’s next stand alone Wagner opera. Principal guest conductor Asher Fisch will lead both performances from the pit. Fisch possesses a deep understanding of Wagner’s operas. After guiding a beautifully played Tristan last summer, it is only natural that Fisch be the…

R.M. Campbell Goodbye, as they say, is sweet sorrow, particularly in the hands of Pacific Northwest Ballet. In recent years, the company in June does what it calls a “Season Encore,” which means a single performance dedicated to departing dancers. This season the class was especially large, with eight, possibly a record, including four principals:…

By Peter A. Klein On Friday, June 3, the Seattle Symphony presented a “Samuel Jones Celebration” at Benaroya Recital Hall. Jones, who turned 76 last week, is about to end his 14-year tenure as the Symphony’s Composer in Residence. Jones’ music is part of the American tonalist tradition that outgoing Music Director Gerard Schwarz has…

By R.M. Campbell Pacific Northwest Ballet has taken three decades to come to glories of “Giselle,” which it did this weekend at McCaw Hall. Nothing much compares with this ballet, which has iconic status in the canon. It must succeed not through fortissimo gestures but pianissimo ones, those that hold us through subtlety and sheer…