San José Chamber Orchestra presents

INFERNO

On fire…in so many ways…a modern-day commentary.

When
Sun Mar 29, 2020
Where
St. Francis Episcopal Church
Time
7:00pm
Cost
$40 - $70
Tags
Music, Classical Music

Description

San José Chamber Orchestra
Conductor: Barbara Day Turner
Soloist: Jennifer Kloetzel, cellist
Soloist: Jonathan Moerschel, violist
Featuring World Premiere compositions by Joel Friedman and Judith Shatin.

THE PROGRAM

INFERNO
Double Concerto for viola, cello and chamber orchestra — Joel Friedman (world premiere)

Respecting the First (Amendment) String orchestra and electronics — Judith Shatin (world premiere)

An Elegy: A Cry from the Grave — Carlos Simon

Inner Demons — Stacy Garrop

Meditation (Hope) — Henry Mollicone


Ticket prices: $50-$70
Senior discounts for age 62 and above.
Age 22 and under all seats $10




NOTES FROM THE COMPOSERS (all living Americans)

INFERNO
“Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost.” – Dante
We are living through incredibly dark, stressful, and eventful times that test our individual and collective civilized and law-abiding mettle. False leaders peddling long-discredited, age-old “solutions” are again on the ascent and spreading globally like fire. Like Dante, our “straightforward pathway” seems lost in the forest dark. Inferno, a double concerto for viola, cello, and chamber orchestra is written in response. It refers to Dante’s Inferno, the first book of his Divine Comedy, for inspiration, and as a metaphor. -Joel Friedman

Respecting the First (Amendment)
At a time when the rights guaranteed by this amendment are under continuing threat, Respecting the First (Amendment) reminds us of what is at stake. The music embodies and responds to the verbal rhythms of the texts, and alludes to songs of our common heritage. Rather than celebrating them, however, I treat them in a manner that ranges from questioning
to grieving, but with hope that our common struggles and values will rise to the fore. -Judith Shatin

An Elegy: A Cry from the Grave, for string quartet, is an artistic reflection dedicated to those who have been murdered wrongfully by an oppressive power; namely Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner and Michael Brown. While the predominant essence of the piece is sorrowful and contemplative, there are moments of extreme hope represented by bright consonant harmonies. -Carlos Simon

Inner Demons depicts a man as he loses his mind. This piece contains four themes: a tarantella, a demented waltz, a scherzo, and the Appalachian folk hymn “The Wayfaring Stranger”. The themes are stated quite briskly until arriving at the hymn. This theme consumes the man; it destroys his mind and he melts down. As his mind is slowly rebuilt, his thoughts become increasingly chaotic, until elements of all four themes are heard simultaneously. -Stacy Garrop

Meditation (Hope) is the final movement of In Time of War: Prayers and Meditations written as a response to 9/11 and the war in Iraq. -Henry Mollicone

THE SOLOISTS

A graduate of The Juilliard School and a Fulbright Scholar, cellist Jennifer Kloetzel has concertized throughout the United States, Europe and Asia as a soloist and chamber musician. A founding member of the San Francisco-based Cypress String Quartet (1996-2016), Ms. Kloetzel has toured the globe and performed at such renowned venues as Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Chautauqua Institute and the Ravinia Festival, the Lobkowicz Palaces in both Vienna and Prague, as well as prominent colleges and conservatories worldwide.

Jonathan Moerschel was born in Boston, Massachusetts into a musical family. At the age of sixteen, he began studying the viola with John Ziarko and chamber music with the violist from the Kolisch Quartet, Eugene Lehner. Moerschel made his Boston Symphony Hall solo debut with the Boston Pops Orchestra in 1997 after taking first prize in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. He is the violist of the reknowned Calder Quartet, which enjoys a diverse career, playing both the traditional quartet literature as well as partnering with innovative modern composers.

Barbara Day Turner, conductor
Maestra Barbara Day Turner is the founder and music director of the San José Chamber Orchestra. An ardent advocate for new music, she has premiered more than 140 new works with San José Chamber Orchestra alone, as well as leading the first performances of 5 American operas. Named a 2012 Silicon Valley Arts Council “On Stage” Artist Laureate, Maestra Day Turner recently completed 15 seasons as Music Administrator and Conductor of the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre. She frequently guest conducts for orchestras and opera companies in the US, Germany and Mexico, and conducted for Opera San José for 18 years. Maestra serves as a judge for the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, and on the advisory boards of Opera Neo in San Diego, the Delphi Trio, and on the board of directors for the National Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy association. She recently joined the opera program faculty at the Aquilon Music Festival in Oregon.

More Info

Link
http://www.sjco.org
Call
408-295-4416 (Box Office)
Email
Contact Form (account required)

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Location

  1. St. Francis Episcopal Church
    1205 Pine Avenue, San Jose, CA