Photo: Carlin Ma
BUILDING BRIDGES THROUGH MUSIC
Your generosity played an integral role in bringing Potlatch Symphony 2020 to the stage this season. This groundbreaking project celebrates the rich tapestry of our region’s land and ancestral history.
Photo: Carlin Ma
In April 2024, the Seattle Symphony performed a free community concert alongside artists from Puget Sound’s First Nations. Born of a decadelong collaboration between the Seattle Symphony and Indigenous communities of Western Washington, the centerpiece of the concert was the world premiere of Potlatch Symphony 2020, which was originally slated to be performed in 2020, but was delayed due to the pandemic.
Launched in 2012, this collaboration seeks to deepen our connections with local tribes and honor their musical traditions. Participating in a series of cultural exchanges and workshops hosted by the Squaxin Island and Duwamish tribes, Symphony musicians and Indigenous artists came together to share musical traditions. Composer Janice Giteck let this collaboration be the heart of the original Potlatch Symphony that premiered at Benaroya Hall in 2013 and featured elements of both composed music and improvisation.
Potlatch Symphony 2020 was created in a similar spirit, with the piece’s primary element being the telling of the story of “Two Sisters,” created and delivered by Indigenous flutist Paul Chiyokten Wagner. Violinist and Seattle Symphony Board member Swil Kanim accompanied him during the performance. Potlatch Symphony 2020 carried a message of bridge-building and healing, aspiring to change the world through Indigenous wisdom. As described by Chiyokten, “We already have these amazing bridges that are just beyond ourselves — the magic of music and its ability to reach into worlds that are beyond ourselves. We have a bridge of commonality — a foundation. Something to build upon.”
In addition to the premiere of Potlatch Symphony 2020, the concert also showcased the talents of our Community Partner, Kids in Concert, a free
music and youth development program founded on the idea that every child should be able to access the benefits of music education. Kids in Concert performed Creation, a piece based on the Suquamish creation myth that was composed by Kids in Concert graduate and Suquamish tribe member Max Dawes, who now studies composition at Cornish College of the Arts.
This special Seattle Symphony Community Concert was a testament to the ways in which music can bring communities together and foster deep connections through collaboration. As a member of our donor family, you help to make uplifting musical experiences like Potlatch Symphony possible. Together, we are fostering understanding, celebrating the diversity of our region and creating a brighter future for generations to come.
A processional opened the world premiere performance of Potlatch Symphony 2020 at Benaroya Hall. On the cover: Indigenous flutist and storyteller Paul Chiyokten Wagner’s performance provided the foundation that Potlatch Symphony 2020 was built on.
Photo: Carlin Ma
Violinist and Seattle Symphony Board member Swil Kanim performing alongside the orchestra.
Associate Conductor Sunny Xia led this collaborative and uplifting performance.
Thank you for your belief in the power of music and for your dedication to building a more harmonious and inclusive world for all.
SCAN TO WATCH
Scan the QR code to watch a video recap of Potlatch Symphony 2020.
Sunny Xia’s position is generously underwritten as the Douglas F. King Associate Conductor.
The Arakawa Foundation proudly supports the Seattle Symphony’s Community Partnerships for Youth and Education. Additional support is provided by Delta Air Lines.
The Seattle Symphony’s Family, School & Community programs are supported by 4Culture, Marco Argenti, ArtsFund, the Merriman-Ross Family, and individual contributions to the Seattle Symphony Annual Fund.
We are very fortunate to be able to support causes that make our community better for everyone, from hiking trails to affordable housing to the arts. It feels really good to sit in Benaroya Hall knowing we’re a small part of something so incredible.
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Jan and Brit Etzold are both lifelong music lovers and began attending the Seattle Symphony shortly after moving to the area in 2011. They have especially loved performances of Camille SaintSaëns’ “Organ” Symphony, Carl Orff’s Carmina burana and the Symphony’s series of film concerts.
Jan and Brit show their support in many ways and hope their gifts will benefit the entire community for years to come.
Visit us online to learn more about how you can make the Seattle Symphony a part of your legacy too.
seattlesymphony.org/legacy
Photo: Carlin Ma
Seattle Symphony Musicians in the Spotlight
The 2024/2025 season is just around the corner and the lineup of concerts is full of star power that promises exhilarating musical experiences — including many opportunities to see members of your Seattle Symphony as featured soloists.
Concertmaster Noah Geller and Principal Cello Efe Baltacıgil will perform Johannes Brahms’ Double Concerto. Brahms wrote this final orchestral piece as a symbol of friendship with its first soloists, and Noah and Efe are excited to share this musical dance with you!
Next, we’ll see Principal Harp Valerie Muzzolini featured in Maurice Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro. Valerie will also perform alongside pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet in a piece by Benjamin Attahir, co-commissioned by the Seattle Symphony.
Antonio Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons will be conducted by Associate Conductor Sunny Xia and feature Associate Concertmaster Helen Kim performing the iconic work for violin and orchestra. The program will also include J.S. Bach’s “Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen!” featuring Principal Trumpet David Gordon
In the closing concert, led by Conductor Emeritus Ludovic Morlot, Principal Flute Demarre McGill will perform Flute Rhapsody, a brand-new concerto by Allison Loggins-Hull, co-commissioned by the Seattle Symphony.
Your support allows us to celebrate the fantastic virtuosity of our musicians. Thank you!
2024/2025 Season Concerts
FEATURING SYMPHONY MUSICIANS
OCTOBER 3 & 5, 2024
Brahms Double Concerto
Alevtina Ioffe conductor
Noah Geller violin
Efe Baltacıgil cello
JANUARY 30, 31 & FEBRUARY 1, 2025
Ravel Mother Goose
Ludovic Morlot conductor
Jean-Yves Thibaudet piano
Valerie Muzzolini harp
MAY 1, 3 & 4, 2025
Vivaldi The Four Seasons
Sunny Xia conductor
Helen Kim violin
David Gordon trumpet
Nola Richardson soprano
Sarah Larsen mezzo-soprano
Seattle Symphony Chorale
JUNE 19, 21 & 22, 2025
Ravel Boléro
Ludovic Morlot conductor Demarre McGill flute
Ludovic Morlot’s position is generously underwritten as the Judith Fong Conductor Emeritus.
Sunny Xia’s position is generously underwritten as the Douglas F. King Associate Conductor.
Noah Geller’s position is generously underwritten as the David & Amy Fulton Concertmaster.
Helen Kim’s position is generously underwritten as the Clowes Family Associate Concertmaster.
Efe Baltacıgil’s position is generously underwritten as the Marks Family Foundation Principal Cello.
David Gordon’s position is generously underwritten as the Boeing Company Principal Trumpet.
Efe Baltacıgil’s performances are generously sponsored by the Marks Family Foundation.
Performances of Brahms Double Concerto are generously sponsored by Patricia Tall-Takacs and Gary Takacs.
Photo: Brandon Patoc
2023/2024 Season: By the Numbers
Through your support, the Seattle Symphony has accomplished some amazing things this season — take a look!
6
free Community Concerts were presented throughout the Seattle area
5,340
6
new musicians joined the orchestra
355
25
4
135
concerts were performed by your Seattle Symphony, including 25 performances with Seattle Opera
works by living composers were performed
organizations were awarded Community Stages Fund grants, giving them free or highly subsidized access to spaces in Benaroya Hall
dedicated volunteers supported Symphony concerts and activities
40 free tickets were distributed through Community Connections partner nonprofits donors attended an Open Rehearsal
years of Benaroya Hall and 120 years of the Seattle Symphony were celebrated
351
1,567
17
events took place at Benaroya Hall, from concerts of every variety to comedy shows and community events
local community groups performed at Day of Music, a free event to celebrate 25 years of Benaroya Hall
90
hours of young artist training activities were provided
SUPPORT YOUR SYMPHONY BEFORE AUGUST 31!
The Seattle Symphony’s 2023/2024 fiscal year comes to a close on August 31, 2024. Please help end the season on strong financial footing by making your gift today — for the music you love and the musicians who bring it to life!