6 Programs
Collaborations with Sarasota
Contemporary Dance and Verdigris Ensemble
New commission
from Mark-Anthony Turnage
Tributes to recently passed composers:
George Crumb and Louis Andriessen
Season at a Glance
The ominous reverberations of Talowa’ Hiloha, the “thunder song” by Jerod Impechchaachaaha’ Tate, opens the season with a focus on the historically underrepresented voices of Indigenous composers. The evening also features the luminous Imago by Andean composer Inti Figgis-Vizueta and Gabriela Ortiz’s Pico-Bite-Beat – an imaginative and intriguing musical exploration of Mesoamerican cuisine.
First Congregational Church
| Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate | Talowa’ Hiloha (Thunder Song) (1994) |
| for solo timpani | |
| Inti Figgis-Vizueta | Imago (2021) |
| for string quartet | |
| Elizabeth Ogonek | Lightenings (2016) |
| for violin, piano, clarinet, percussion | |
| Michael Begay | Cloak of Autumn (2018) |
| for string quartet | |
| Gabriela Ortiz | Pico-Bite-Beat (2018) |
| for percussion, string quartet and electronics |
Jane B. Cook Theater (Asolo Repertory Theater/FSU)
COLLABORATION WITH SARASOTA CONTEMPORARY DANCE
December 1-4 Live & Streaming
| Iannis Xenakis | Rebonds B (1989) |
| for solo percussion | |
| Mario Carro | About Escher (2015) |
| for violin and marimba | |
| Reena Esmail | Darshan- Bihag (2021) |
| for solo violin | |
| Bright Sheng | Hot Pepper (2010) |
| for violin and marimba | |
| Lou Harrison | Varied Trio (1987) |
| piano, violin, percussion |
Black Angels, the epic lament for the troubled years of the Vietnam era climaxes a tribute to George Crumb (1929-2022), the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer whose works are among the most frequently performed compositions in today’s musical world. Soprano Lucy Fitz Gibbon returns to sing Crumb’s evocative Madrigals, and the emotionally powerful Demeter Prelude by Crumb’s protégé, Margaret Brouwer will also be performed.
First Congregational Church
George Crumb Tribute. Remembering an American Icon and those he influenced.
| Madrigals |
| for soprano, flute, percussion |
| Margaret Brouwer: Demeter Prelude (1997) |
| for string quartet |
| Black Angels (1970) |
| for string quartet and electronics |
The voices of the Dallas-based Verdigris Ensemble rise in collaboration with ensembleNEWSRQ to present the compelling choral works of two internationally acclaimed composers: The Branch Will Not Break by Christopher Cerrone – as inspired by the poetry of James Arlington Wright; and Vespers for a New Dark Age by Missy Mazzoli – set to the poetry of Matthew Zapruder.
First Congregational Church
Collaboration with Verdigris Ensemble (contemporary chamber choir) from Dallas, Texas.
| Christopher Cerrone | The Branch Will Not Break (2015) |
| for string quartet, percussion, piano and eight singers | |
| Missy Mazzoli | Vespers for a New Dark Age (2014) |
| for two sopranos, alto, violin, bass, clarinet, two synthesizers and percussion |
The virtuosic versatility of the percussionist is celebrated in a program featuring Krizts Auznieks’s Prelude and Ether for marimbas, vibraphone, and piano; Emma O’Halloran’s Shell for marimba quartet; and the world premieres of newly commissioned works for percussion ensembles by the renowned British composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and the emerging American percussionist/composer Shaun Tilburg.
First Congregational Church
Percussion Feature!
| Mark-Anthony Turnage | New England Etudes (Co-Commission) (2022) |
| for percussion sextet | |
| Krists Auznieks | Prelude and Ether (2019) |
| or two marimbas, two vibraphones and piano | |
| Shaun Tilburg | Kagome Kagome (Commission and World Premiere) (2022) |
| for voice, two percussion | |
| Emma O’Halloran | Shell (2019) |
| for marimba quartet and reverb |
As the ranks of ensembleNEWSRQ swell to 40 - our largest complement of musicians to date - We travel to the Sarasota Opera House with a double bill of contemporary classics - both composed in 1976. HK Gruber's vastly entertaining Frankenstein (a "pandemonium for baritone chansonnier and ensemble") opens the program, and Louis Andriessen's iconic and ground-breaking De Stat brings our season to a triumphant conclusion.
Sarasota Opera House
| HK Gruber | Frankenstein! (1976) |
| for chansonnier and small mixed ensemble | |
| Louis Andriessen | De Staat (1976) |
| for large mixed ensemble |