Midseason Newsletter
YOUR IMPACT IN FOCUS
HOW YOU BRING A MASTERPIECE TO LIFE Bach’s Mass in B minor: His final great achievement is coming to the stage in March, thanks to you! The Mass in B minor is Bach’s final great achievement and — through your generous support — your Seattle Symphony brings it to life in March. Through this singular work Bach sought to summarize his lifetime of creating music, and to write a piece that would be his legacy. For Ludovic Morlot, whose eight-year tenure as Music Director comes to a close at the end of this season, Bach’s final Mass was a perfect complement to his final season. “This music is life changing,” shares Morlot. “The first four bars by themselves are life changing. Every aria is a jewel.”
“Everybody has heard music
by Bach, but this is the best of the best.” – Ludovic Morlot
The Mass in B minor includes earlier works by Bach, coming together to create a sense of completion — of coming full circle. “This piece was written in different stages of his life, and it was only in his later life that he decided to put these parts together to make a mass,” explains Morlot. “Compiled as one work, it is a summary of Bach’s production over his career. Everybody has heard music by Bach, but this is the best of the best of what he created.” Bach’s Mass in B minor also represents themes of Morlot’s own tenure at the Symphony. “I have never performed it before, but I have listened to it again and again since the minute I discovered it,” says Morlot. Throughout his time at the Symphony, Morlot has consistently sought to explore new music with the orchestra and audience.
For the performances, Morlot and the orchestra will be joined on stage by a host of renowned soloists, including 2017–2018 Featured Artist Kenneth Tarver, who captivated audiences last season in Stravinsky’s Persephone. And as with Persephone and so many of the Symphony’s highlights during his tenure, Morlot will partner with Associate Conductor for Choral Activities Joseph Crnko and the Seattle Symphony Chorale. “To do this music with a modern orchestra playing modern instruments is a challenge,” says Morlot. “You want to be inspired by period instruments and articulation, but you must translate that to modern instruments and big spaces. The challenge is to use the chorus well. I have chosen to go with a small chorus to strike a balance with the size of the orchestra and to make this music feel true to its origins while resonating with our contemporary audiences.” Just as Bach brought together a lifetime of music to create his Mass in B minor, you help Ludovic Morlot bring together great artists to create one-of-a-kind musical experiences. “It really feels — when you listen to this live — that you become immersed in it,” says Morlot. “It’s a really visceral experience.”
Join Ludovic Morlot and your Seattle Symphony on March 14, 16 and 17 to experience Bach’s Mass in B minor for yourself, and revel in the music that you make possible.
TICKETS: SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG | 206.215.4747 Bach’s Mass in B minor is generously supported by the Judith A. Fong Music Directors Fund. Kenneth Tarver’s performances are supported in part by the Melvyn Poll Tenor Fund.
Derek is directing the annual Link Up program in March, when 10,000 elementary students from across the Puget Sound region travel to Benaroya Hall to play recorder and sing with the orchestra in six concerts over a week’s time. Derek is also leading this year’s class of young composers through the intensive 12-week Merriman Family Young Composers Workshop. Their work together will culminate in a Seattle Symphony performance of the student’s new compositions. With Derek’s versatility in composition, it is going to be a joy to hear what the students create with his guidance. Derek Bermel will be featured on Octave 9 programs, and lead education and community initiatives that you bring to life through your support.
YOU BRING OUTSTANDING ARTISTS TO SEATTLE Meet Composer in Residence and musician extraordinaire Derek Bermel. Derek Bermel is an artist who defies definition. An accomplished clarinetist, composer and conductor, Derek is just as comfortable writing and performing jazz as classical music. His work has taken him all over the world, from Jerusalem to Bulgaria to Ghana, covering a diverse range of instruments, languages and cultural traditions.
“Derek Bermel is the quintessential 21st-century musician … staggering eclecticism from a true musical renaissance man.” – Gramophone Another key Seattle Symphony initiative you help make possible each year is the Simple Gifts Community Composition. Your Symphony is bringing people together to create music in a time when self-care and community are in short supply. Derek will be working with veterans experiencing homelessness over three months. Then they share their composition with the community. In Derek we have an exceptional musician who is going to spark new ideas and bring our community together. You are the force behind his work in Seattle. Thank you!
You may remember Derek’s music from a few years ago, when his Migration Series was performed by the Roosevelt High School Jazz Band on the Symphony’s Sonic Evolution series. Thanks to your support, Derek’s immense creativity, enthusiasm for collaboration and deep love of music will be in full force in Seattle this spring. As Composer in Residence for the 2018– 2019 season, there isn’t much that Derek won’t be doing. The spotlight will be on performances in Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center that Derek has curated, including the first concert in the new venue, Brooklyn to Ballard, on March 10. In April Derek presents a program of American music, including the world premiere of his Nine Revolutions, written to showcase the unique technological capabilities of the space. A live string quartet of Symphony musicians, prerecorded orchestra and electronics make up the ensemble of Derek’s new work. We hope you’ll join us for these very special performances! Behind the scenes, Derek is leading our major education and community work throughout the spring — programs that are possible as a result of your caring support.
JOIN US TO SEE AND HEAR DEREK’S WORK COME TO LIFE! March 10: Brooklyn to Ballard in Octave 9 March 14: Link Up: Seattle Symphony* April 28: American Horizons in Octave 9 (Includes World Premiere of Derek’s Nine Revolutions) May 6: Young Composers Workshop Performance May 11: Simple Gifts Community Composition Performance
LEARN MORE AND RESERVE YOUR SEAT AT SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG. *Link Up is not open to the public but we welcome supporters to join us on March 14. Contact Donor Relations at 206.215.4832 or friends@seattlesymphony.org for details and reservations.
Auditorium. Octave 9 seats about 125 people and is designed to immerse the audience and artists together in the music. In addition to performing in the new space, Symphony musicians have been very involved in recommending the music and programs that will be featured. Symphony clarinetist Eric Jacobs is one of the musician curators, and he shared that Octave 9 “synthesizes so many things that are important to us as performers. It allows us to amplify our individual artistic voices and will help shape the Symphony’s future.” Octave 9 creates an immersive environment for inventive performances and a new home for the Symphony’s education programs and community engagement.
SPOTLIGHT ON OCTAVE 9 New immersive music center will offer a new look at music. The vision for Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center was a technologically advanced venue with the versatility to serve people of all ages and create an incubator for contemporary chamber music. The reality is that — and so much more. With immersive and responsive visual capabilities and the exceptional Meyer Sound acoustic system that allows musicians to create acoustics to best serve the music, Octave 9 is an instrument in itself. But even with all the technology powering the space, the musicians are at the heart of Octave 9. In just the first four months music by 70 living composers will be performed by Symphony musicians. Seattle Symphony Composer in Residence Derek Bermel is curating two of the spring programs, while cellist Seth Parker Woods will be Artist in Residence for the first two seasons of Octave 9, performing on and curating several programs. It will be a very special environment where audience members will be able to hear and see individual musicians in a way that isn’t possible inside the 2,500-seat S. Mark Taper Foundation
“Come to Octave 9 unprepared and with an open mind. What you hear will be unexpected, surprising and stimulating. And it will remain with you forever.” – Elena Dubinets Behind it all is Vice President of Artistic Planning & Creative Projects Elena Dubinets. In addition to working closely with Music Director Ludovic Morlot and the orchestra, a mainstay of Elena’s work is researching musicians and composers to feature in Seattle. She is thrilled to engage such a wide range of artists, from musicians and composers Elena has worked with before to new discoveries. “Come to Octave 9 unprepared and with an open mind,” says Elena. “What you will hear will be unexpected, surprising and stimulating. And it will remain with you forever.”
BROWSE PROGRAMMING AND CHOOSE YOUR CONCERTS AT SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG/OCTAVE9 Octave 9 is located at the northwest corner of Benaroya Hall, with the entrance on Second Avenue. The venue replaces Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center, which gave thousands of young people their introduction to music over the last 20 years. These programs will continue and expand in Octave 9. Leadership support for Octave 9 construction was generously provided by James and Sherry Raisbeck, Norcliffe Foundation and Sage Foundation. Programming is supported by the Judith A. Fong Music Directors Fund. We thank all supporters who have made Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center a reality.
BE A PART OF HISTORY NAME A SEAT IN BENAROYA HALL As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Benaroya Hall — home of the Seattle Symphony — we need your support to remain one of the finest concert halls in the world. Join us today for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be a part of Benaroya Hall history.
SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG/BH20 | 206.215.4832
LUDOVIC’S PICKS FOR YOU Must-see concerts this spring. APRIL 4, 6 & 7
NIELSEN SYMPHONY NO. 2 Thomas Dausgaard and the orchestra continue their exploration of Carl Nielsen’s expansive symphonies. Our recording of Nielsen Symphonies Nos. 3 and 4 was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance. The April performances also feature Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with pianist Garrick Ohlsson. APRIL 18 & 20
MARC-ANDRÉ DALBAVIE FLUTE CONCERTO Featuring Principal Flute Demarre McGill with Ludovic and the orchestra. The headline piece for this concert is Mozart’s epic Symphony No. 40.
Demarre McGill
APRIL 25 & 26
HEINER GOEBBELS SURROGATE CITIES This one-of-a-kind performance features a multimedia experience by the German composer and theater artist Heiner Goebbels, exploring our urban society. New material has been added by Goebbels, unique for the Seattle performances. JUNE 13, 14 & 15
STRAUSS OBOE CONCERTO & TILL EULENSPIEGEL This concert is during the final month of Ludovic’s tenure and features Principal Oboe Mary Lynch on Richard Strauss’ Oboe Concerto. The orchestra closes the program with the fabled trickster Till Eulenspiegel. The Principal Flute position is supported by David and Shelley Hovind, and the Principal Oboe position is supported by anonymous donors.
JUST ANNOUNCED! The 2019–2020 season heralds the beginning of Music Director Thomas Dausgaard’s new role with the orchestra. Mary Lynch Principal Oboe Mary Lynch and Principal Flute Demarre McGill are featured soloists with the orchestra this spring.
The outstanding music, renowned artists and major undertakings — like the Beethoven 2020 festival — simply wouldn’t be possible without your caring support. Thank you for bringing our music to life!
TICKETS: SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG | 206.215.4747
THANK YOU
FOR YOUR SUPPORT!! SEATTLESYMPHONY.ORG/GIVE | 206.215.4832