This June, Seattle’s ending the concert season with a bang, in the form of a month-long flurry of world premiere performances. Seattle Symphony, Town Hall Seattle, and Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra are among the ensembles and venues joining in on the new music fun. As the 2014-15 season draws to a close, celebrate another year of local classical music with brand-new works as well as perennial favorites.
May 30 – Jun. 8 — Our classical music critic Philippa Kiraly dubs Pacific Northwest Ballet‘s Giselle as “one of the company’s best”. Read her review and discover why this production is a must-see.
Jun. 6 — Sir Mix-A-Lot at the Seattle Symphony? The orchestra’s Sonic Evolution concert is (baby got) back, celebrating the Seattle music scene with new orchestra pieces inspired by local luminaries. Seattle band Pickwick joins Mix-A-Lot and the symphony for this unique program.
Jun. 7 — Premieres abound at Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra‘s season finale concert. Hear brand-new works by Binna Kim and Tyler Kline, as well as West Coast and North American premieres by Alex Baranowski and Gabriel Prokofiev (grandson of Sergei Prokofiev).
Jun. 8 & 14 — Northwest Chamber Chorus concludes the concert season with “Vices and Virtues”, a musical journey that explores the qualities that make us all human. The wide-ranging program features everything from Baroque classics by Bach and Monteverdi to music by living composer Alice Parker.
Jun. 13 — Seattle Modern Orchestra tackles the theme of “Musical Commentaries” with three pieces that pay tribute to the legacy other composers. The program includes a recent work by UW professor Joël-François Durand as well as music by 20th century composers Franco Donatoni and Earle Brown.
Jun. 15 — Piano and harpsichord maestro Byron Schenkman concludes the inaugural season of his concert series with a performance of Schubert’s Trout Quintet. Schenkman is joined by a quartet of local musicians for this beloved chamber music masterpiece.
Jun. 19 & 21 — With his ballets The Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky cemented his legacy as one of the great composers of the 20th century. In a near-superhuman feat, the Seattle Symphony performs all three of these masterworks in a single program.
Jun. 24 — The month of world premieres continues at Town Hall Seattle. The Town Music series features new works by Raymond Lustig, Amir Shpilman, Wang Jie, and Artistic Director Joshua Roman. Also on the program: Soprano Mary Mackenzie sings Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire song cycle.
