Category: Seattle
-
Few ensembles today command the interest of modern music aficionados like the JACK quartet. The members of the quartet — violinists Christopher Otto and Ari Streisfeld, violist John Pickford Richards, and cellist Kevin McFarland — met while studying at the Eastman school of music. They studied with the pioneering Kronos Quartet and Arditti Quartet. Though,…
-
By R.M. Campbell The 2010-11 Seattle Symphony Orchestra season has been one of conducting debuts — both American and European. Most of the men have been interesting and well-prepared, all of which is a reminder of the talent that lies just beyond our shores. One of the best of the lot is Jakub Hrusa, a…
-
What if Seattle’s music director picks up an east coast orchestra in addition to his soon to be west coast duties? He wouldn’t be the first music director to take on multiple orchestras. With James Levine stepping down from his duties with the Boston Symphony, Morlot’s ties to the orchestra, and his two week residency…
-
By R. M. Campbell Les Violons du Roy, the Canadian chamber orchestra, along with English tenor Ian Bostridge gave an astonishing, often revealing concert Wednesday night at Benaroya Hall, under the auspices of the Seattle Symphony Visiting Orchestra Series. While the concert represented a double local debut for orchestra and soloist, Bostridge has appeared twice…
-
By Philippa Kiraly In the 15 seasons since its inception, the Auburn Symphony Orchestra has been steadily nurtured and an audience built by conductor Stewart Kershaw, general manager Lee Valenta, a devoted board and a supportive city, and one might consider last weekend’s final performances of this season as a watershed. For the first time,…
-
Cornish College is fast becoming Seattle’s center of daring, modern classical music performances. It is a rapid turn around for a college and a music program which identifies itself readily with John Cage, a composer critical to the growth of avant garde music in the United States. The school doesn’t boast a resident student orchestra…
-
Seattle is about to be invaded by two prominent string quartets, both champions of non-standard repertory, new music, and everything in between. ETHEL comes first with two performances with Simple Measures, the local chamber music effort striving to remove the mystery around classical music followed by two performances by the JACK Quartet as part of…
-
By R.M. Campbell There were familiar and unfamiliar faces at the Seattle Symphony Orchestra concert Thursday night at Benaroya Hall. Violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsy was the soloist and Pietari Inkinen, the guest conductor. Music of Jean Sibelius, Benjamin Britten and Bela Bartok was played. All together, the concert was satisfying. Inkinen is an able young man,…
-
By Gigi Yellen The Seattle concert series called Simple Measures rarely risks investing in such a high-profile touring ensemble as Ethel. That makes this weekend’s two concerts as important as they are accessible. With no stage separating performers and audience, in Simple Measures’ usual friendly neighborhood venues, the internationally renowned string quartet known as Ethel…
-
By Philippa Kiraly In the operas so far this season, Seattle Opera has presented singers on stage from Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Spain, Croatia, Italy, Israel, Nicaragua, Australia, Turkey, France, Argentina, Mexico and, coming up in “The Magic Flute,” Canada, Japan, Russia and England. In addition, of course, to the American singers. Where does general director…