The recital will be broadcast live, but will also be available to watch later.
Come hear me perform an intimate, expressive program of piano music! I built this program around Yiheng Yvonne Wu’s Threaded Spaces, which deftly blends the piano’s singing qualities with its bell-like sound world. Its gently rocking accompaniment, which supports a lyrical line studded with ringing chords, called to me to be paired with Chopin’s Barcarolle, op. 60. Rounding out the program—and chiming with the bells of Threaded Spaces—are two seldom-played gems.
Debussy’s second book of Images, a collection of three short works, includes the lush “Cloches à travers les feuilles” (Bells through the Leaves) and the colorful, virtuosic “Poissons d’or” (Golden Fish).
Truly rarely heard are Béla Bartók’s Four Dirges, op. 9a, which proceed with a rare beauty and power that binds the whole program together in a sonorous, wistful narrative.
Portland Opera is thrilled to continue the resident artist program this year, including recitals featuring the 20/21 Portland Opera Resident Artists. Traditionally held at Portland Art Museum, the series this year will be broadcast live from the Hampton Opera Center. Each performance will feature two or more Portland Opera Resident Artists, sharing solo pieces, duets, and ensembles, along with new Resident Artist Coach and collaborative pianist Joseph Williams.
Bass Edwin Jhamal Davis Ensemble including all Portland Opera Resident Artists Pianist Joseph Williams
View this virtual concert on Portland Opera’s Vimeo or YouTube pages.
Edwin Jhamal Davis, bass, made his professional debut with Mississippi Opera Company in the role of Simone in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. Additional recent credits include performances with Pompano Beach Orchestra, Bronx Concert Singers, and Boston Paramount Theater. A native of Utica, Mississippi, Davis is an alumnus of Jackson State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree and he holds a master’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music
FREE Donations accepted. Visit website link below to RSVP for concert link.
Fear No Music launches their second virtual Mini Concert of the Tomorrow Is My Turn season, with intrepid clarinetist James Shields starring in solo performances of music by Black American composers. Known for his dynamism and passion, Shields is Principal Clarinetist with the Oregon Symphony, Co-Artistic Director of Chatter, a core member of 45th Parallel Universe and is also a talented composer. Shields notes, “All three of these pieces were new to me, and they were absolutely fantastic works to familiarize myself with. I think each will prove to be as satisfying and engaging for the listener as they are for the performer.”
With the Tomorrow Is My Turn season, Fear No Music offers a small glimpse into the breadth and depth of phenomenal music being created by Black artists across the nation. Thoughtfully curated for an optimal online listening experience, this Mini Concert is thirty minutes in length, and is FREE; available for streaming on Fear No Music’s YouTube channel.
Click the link below to RSVP and get the concert link. Concerts are available to view for 48 hours after the initial broadcast.
Program:
Derek Douglas Carter
Derek Douglas Carter, A Bite of Chocolate Milk (2018) for speaking bass clarinet dedicated to anyone that feels the labels given to them by society limit them, and seeks to transcend them
from the song Chocolate Rain:
Seldom mentioned on the radio Build a tent and say the world is dry History quickly crashing through your veins Cleans the sewers out beneath Mumbai The prisons make you wonder where it went Zoom the camera out and see the lie
– Tay Zonday
Ed Bland
Ed Bland, For Clarinet (1964, rev. 1978)
Bland noted, “This 3-minute, whimsical, joyful, atonal piece for unaccompanied clarinet is very idiomatic.” William Powell recorded the work on Cambria Master Recordings and wrote for The Clarinet journal (September 2017), “For Clarinet is written in a virtuoso style. The four-page piece, though difficult, especially in its rapidly changing rhythms, should be playable by a more advanced high school student or university undergraduate student. This author was very lucky to record For Clarinet under the composer’s supervision.”
Nicole Mitchell
Nicole Mitchell, a much deserved ass whopping (2020) for bass clarinet
From performer James Shields: “a much deserved ass whopping for bass clarinet was a really fun piece to tear into, and I enjoyed the opportunity to sharpen up some extended techniques. MItchell even requires the performer to scream through the instrument, which I was more than happy to do at this stage in the pandemic. The bass clarinet has an exceptionally wide range, and Mitchell capitalizes on this by choosing to write predominantly in the lowest and highest ranges that the instrument is capable of. I might be reading into the title a bit too much, but I found myself hearing two voices: an extremely high voiced character pleading for mercy, and a growling lower voice that was committed to dolling out a particular type of punishment.”
In this exclusive virtual concert and conversation, Jeremy Denk performs preludes and fugues from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, exploring them from the point of view of a storyteller. How does Bach define a character? How and why does he let the character change? Jeremy Denk will join the live online chat at the end of the prerecorded performance for audience questions and discussion.
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