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Symbiosis: Bronx Arts Ensemble Woodwind Quintet
July 20 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
FREE
Interaction between nature and humans, meditations on animals and the environment, and a little bit about people and the way they are interacting with the current social and political moment. Special guest: Mexican mezzo-soprano, actor, and director Sishel Claverie.
Explore the interconnected themes of nature, animals, human interactions with the environment, and reflections on the current social and political landscape. This exploration prompts profound reflection on our position in the world, highlighting the consequences of human behavior on the environment and larger ecosystems. Similarly, examining how people engage with contemporary social and political issues reveals much about our collective consciousness and priorities. The current moment, marked by rapid technological advancements, shifting cultural norms, and pressing global challenges, demands a nuanced understanding of human behavior and societal dynamics. Our interactions, both harmonious and contentious, shape the trajectory of communities and nations.
PROGRAM
Kleine Kammermusik, Op. 24 No.2 – Paul Hindemith
Five Frogs – Jenni Brandon
(Five Frogs for Woodwind Quintet allows each of the instruments to tell the story of a frog, from leaping to lazing on a lily pad.)
Three Nature Walks – Alexandra Molnar-Sulhajda
(The three movements -Autumn Woods, Winter Moonlight, Cherry Blossom Path- are brief vignettes inspired by the countryside surrounding the DC area.)
Orca Woodwind Quintet – Laurel Zucker
(‘narrative’ woodwind quintet about orcas and the part of the Pacific Northwest.)
Circling – Toni Lester
(Circling was inspired by red tail hawks – who circle high up in the air and dive for their prey. It is also about the parallel experience of the creative process as we try to hone in on just the right idea or note or words.)
Pastoral – Vincent Persichetti
(The tranquil 1943 Pastoral melody for wind quintet takes you on a serene country walk, led by the flute and clarinet.)
MUSICIANS
Theresa Norris – flute
William Meredith – oboe
Mitchell Kriegler – clarinet
Blair Hamrick – french horn
Atsuko Sato – bassoon
Sishel Claverie – mezzo-soprano
THERESA NORRIS, flutist, is a “Motown” girl who performed with Michigan Opera Theatre and the Detroit Symphony before coming to New York. She has been an Artist Member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble for more than 30 years, while enjoying a busy orchestral and chamber music career playing with many groups in New York City and the surrounding area. Theresa has performed with St. Bart’s Music Festival, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Berkshire Opera, Philip Glass Ensemble and many others, as well as on Broadway. When not performing or teaching, Theresa can be found tending her garden or cooking and entertaining friends. On that rare night off, she’s with her husband Charley, bowling and groovin’ to the music at the Brooklyn Bowl.
WILLIAM MEREDITH, oboist, made his debut at the age of thirteen as a soloist with the Kansas City Philharmonic, and subsequently moved to New York City to study with Harold Gomberg at the Manhattan School of Music. Bill has played with the Westchester Symphony, Virginia Opera Company, New Jersey Symphony, Long Island Symphony and new music group North-South Chamber Orchestra. He has as well performed as principal with the American Symphony, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Connecticut Grand Opera and Grand Opera of New York. In demand as a chamber musician, Bill is a member of the Andiamo Ensemble and Linden Woodwind Quintet, as well as Bronx Arts Ensemble. A busy commercial musician, he has recorded with Queen Latifah and in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie Blackwater Lighthouse. Bill has also been oboist for many Broadway shows, including My Fair Lady, Ragtime and Beauty and the Beast.
Bronx–born clarinetist MITCHELL KRIEGLER graduated from the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied with Charles Russo, Conrad Kuchay and Robert Renino. He performs at Lincoln Center with the New York City Ballet Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops. He is an Artist Member of the Bronx Arts Ensemble and Linden Quintet, and performs with the New York City Opera Orchestra
BLAIR HAMRICK, an alumnus of the Manhattan School of Music Professional Studies degree, is a freelance horn performer in New York City. While teaching and pursuing her Doctorate at Stony Brook University, she performs with groups including the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, and School of American Ballet Orchestra. Blair has taken part in artist residencies at Rutgers University and the Pierrot Chamber Music Festival. Blair premiered the solo horn piece, Fólkvangr by Jason Mulligan at the International Horn Society conference in Belgium, and plans to bring more solo horn repertoire to the forefront.
Bassoonist ATSUKO SATO is a graduate of the Toho School of Music in Japan and Juilliard School of Music in New York. A former member of the Detroit Symphony, she is a member of the Queens Symphony. Active as a freelancer in the Tri-State area, Atsuko is an original member of the orchestra for The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest running production. Her playing can be heard on the Emmy Award-winning television show Wonder Pets. A notable chamber music musician, she performs with a variety of groups including Grammy-nominated Englewinds and Double Entendre, as well as with the Bronx Arts Ensemble as Artist Member.
Sishel Claverie is a Mexican singer, actor and director who enjoys a versatile career in opera, chamber music, new works, and multidisciplinary collaborations.
Recent engagements include Bernstein’s MASS with the National Symphony Orchestra, the mariachi-opera El Milagro del Recuerdo with San Diego Opera, and a supporting role in the short film Chinese Laundry, directed by Giorgio Arcelli. Earlier this year, Sishel served as stage director of the Santa Fe Opera Young Voices Scenes Showcase. Next spring you can see her perform the title role in Bizet’s Carmen with St. Pete Opera, and staring in the theater/cabaret show, SOLEFUL, at 480 Arts, in St. Paul Minnesota.
A champion of new operatic works, Ms. Claverie has been involved in several world premieres, including Ted Rosenthal’s jazz-opera, Dear Erich, with the New York City Opera, and the video opera series Everything for Dawn by Experiments in Opera, among others.
Sishel holds a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Houston and a master’s degree in Music from Rice University.
www.sishelclaverie.com
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR CONCERT SPONSORS
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Council and District 11 Councilmember Eric Dinowitz.
This concert is also funded in part by a grant from the New York City Tourism Foundation.
