by Karen Lunde for OLY ARTS
In mid-February, Emerald City Music will take Olympia South Sound music lovers on a spiritual journey through classical music. This is the first time an Emerald City concert will feature a soloist, baritone Christopher Herbert, a two-time GRAMMY nominated member of the male classical quartet New York Polyphony. Gilbert Kalish (piano), Kwan Yi (piano), Alexi Kenney (violin), and Robert deMaine (cello) round out the cast of visiting performers from around the globe.
“Our concert experience is not what you’d expect from classical music,” said Andrew Goldstein, Executive Director of Emerald City Music. “We pull musicians from all over the world and pair them individually for concerts that are very casual and intimate. The things you see on our stage are unique. You won’t see them anywhere else.”
Goldstein described vocalist Herbert as an “interesting and charming guy” who was involved in politics prior to his musical career. Herbert will sing a set of songs by iconic American composers Copland and Bernstein. “This is one of the first times we’re exploring, very candidly, the emotional power of music, especially as it relates to spirituality,” Goldstein said.
One of the pieces featured in the concert, Ives’ Violin Sonata No. 4, “Children’s Day at Camp Meeting”, was composed with a twelve-year-old violinist in mind. But when the sonata was complete, Ives discovered that the young violinist couldn’t play the last two movements and neither could his teacher. The composition is based on the church hymns sung at children’s services and camp meetings in the early 1900s.
Emerald City Music, founded in 2015, produces virtuosic chamber music shows in Olympia and South Lake Union. A Spiritual Journey is the fourth offering of their second season. “In these spiritual themes,” said Goldstein, “we’re exploring what connects us as human beings.”
WHAT
Emerald City Music: Spiritual Journey
WHERE
Kenneth J. Minnaert Center Main Stage
2011 Mottman Rd. SW
WHEN
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17
HOW MUCH
$25-40
LEARN MORE
360-753-8586 | The Washington Center for the Performing Arts