Overture Magazine 2019-20 BSO_Overture_Jan Feb | Page 6

in
B A LT I M O R E S Y M P H O N Y O R C H E S T R A
NEWS OF NOTE
Cristina Pato
bagpipes
SHIFT
A Festival of American Orchestras
Kayhan Kalhor
kamancheh
David Krakauer
klezmer clarinet
Michael Ward-Bergeman
hyper-accordion
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n March 23 –29, the BSO will participate in The John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts’ and Washington Performing Arts’
SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras, a weeklong celebration of
vitality, identity and artistry in D.C. During the festival, there will
also be performances by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the
Jacksonville Symphony and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, as well as residency activities
by each orchestra in the D.C. community.
SHIFT aims to provide performances with diverse repertoire and multi-genre thematic
collaborations. The BSO performance on March 25 at 8 pm at Kennedy Center Concert
Hall in D.C. takes a closer look at America’s music and the diverse cultures that have formed
it in a performance of Florence Price’s The Oak, Golijov’s Rose of the Winds and Dvořák’s
famous “New World” Symphony.
In 1933 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Price became the first African
American woman to have her work performed by a major U.S. orchestra. The Oak
includes Late Romantic gestures mixed with Southern spirituals and folk melodies.
Known for his blending of cultures, Golijov’s Rose of the Winds explores different types
of human experiences throughout the world utilizing a unique instrumentation: the
kamancheh, a bowed string instrument from Iran; the Galician bagpipes from Northern
Spain; the hyper-accordion, an accordion with stereophonic electronic enhancements;
and the well-known klezmer clarinet. Joining the BSO are members of the esteemed
Silk Road Ensemble: Cristina Pato, bagpipes; Kayhan
Kalhor, kamancheh; and Michael Ward-Bergeman,
hyper-accordion; as well as David Krakauer on the
klezmer clarinet. Opening Dvořák’s Ninth Symphony,
the Washington Performing Arts Men & Women of the
Gospel Choir will perform the spirituals “Swing Low,
Sweet Chariot” and “Goin’ Home,” both of which are
explored by Dvořák in the symphony.
As part of the BSO’s residency activities, SHIFT will
also highlight some of the BSO’s outstanding education
programs, including an interactive session with OrchKids,
OrchKids teaching artists and local D.C. students.