A conversation with Seattle
In the opera, the salmon have gone missing, and other animals (a mischievous orca, an observant heron, a grumpy turtle) are worried. There’s also a brother and sister who are were-salmons, and a fisherman who would like to catch ALL THE SALMONS for himself. Continue reading New “Heron and the Salmon Girl” Opera Begins an “Our Earth” Cycle
Obviously, this story needs to begin with The Esoterics founder Eric Banks taking an urgent phone call. He wasn’t called in the middle of the night, but it was urgent. Just maybe not an emergency per se. The rock group Foreigner wanted to know if his chorus would like to sing “I Want to Know What Love Is” with them at Tulalip Amphitheatre this Saturday, August 25. Continue reading Freaky Saturday: The Esoterics Join Foreigner at Tulalip
There’s no question that Cavafy is a major poet, but his reputation had to wait until society caught up to him. Though he worked as a nondescript ministry clerk for years, Cavafy made of his poetry a treasure house of the erotic, sensual, visceral–every fleeting thing that shot through the body, he trapped not in amber but in ink, refusing (as Auden later wrote of him) “to pretend that his memories of moments of sensual pleasure are unhappy or spoiled by feelings of guilt.” Continue reading Approaching ecstasy Pours Cavafy’s Poetry into Liquid Bones in Suits
Among the groups which have opened their arms to SYSO are Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Theatre Group, Seattle Chamber Music Society, the 5th Avenue Theatre and Seattle Opera. Next week, Sunday, May 20, as the last performance of its regular three-concert season, SYSO’s senior orchestra, Seattle Youth Symphony, performs a major choral work for the first time, Verdi’s Requiem. Continue reading Getting in on the Ground Floor with the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras
Gian Carlo Menotti would have been 100 on July 7th and The Esoterics, joined by the Cornish College Choral Scholars, has honored him with a pair of concerts devoted to his music (last performance tonight, July 9, at 8 p.m. at All Pilgrims Christian Church on Broadway). Continue reading The Esoterics Celebrate Menotti’s Music for His Centenary
Thanks to the internet, these groups can be more indie than indie: Zubatto Syndicate’s CD was funded by Kickstarter. They can also be more esoteric than even the most esoteric record store could hope to shelve. The Esoterics choir has 12 CDs out, from their latest collection of Samuel Barber’s choral works to collections inspired by sonnets, Islam, and the mandala. And the Jason Parker Quartet surprised everyone by turning Nick Drake into “Endlessly listenable, accessible, genius jazz” raved The Examiner.com. Not satisfied with that Spekulation mashed up Parker’s take with Jay-Z. Continue reading Seattle’s Other Indie Music Scene