Mostly Nordic: Pēteris Vasks – A Composer Portrait
$30 ($25 museum members)
Paul Taub, flute
Travis Gore, contrabass
Skyros Quartet
Mägi Ensemble
In conjunction with the Baltic Arts Northwest Council, the Mostly Nordic series reaches beyond the Nordic borders to explore the music of today’s most frequently performed living Latvian composer, Pēteris Vasks, who will attend this performance. His lyricism, influenced by nature and Latvian folk music and characterized by a heartfelt directness and honesty, will be expressed through music for flute, string quartet, contrabass, and vocal ensemble, performed by northwestern artists Paul Taub, the Skyros Quartet, and the Mägi Ensemble.
Featured in the program will be the United States premiere of a new version of Vask’s Plainscapes for women’s voices, violin, and cello, inspired by the plains that are a dominant feature of the Latvian countryside.
About Mägi Ensemble
The Mägi Ensemble is a professional soprano-alto vocal ensemble that specializes in music from the Baltic region of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. We perform and record music from these countries and promote new choral works from Baltic women composers. Our vision is to use the power of music to connect with the community and continue to celebrate cultural heritage through the arts. We exemplify the values of cultural understanding, community, quality and commitment. Our philosophy as both a specialized repertoire ensemble and a treble ensemble is to demonstrate the effect that music can have for empowerment, both in social responsibility and gender identity.
http://magiensemble.com/About Skyros Quartet
Sarah Pizzichemi, violin |
Brandon Vance, violin |
Justin Kurys, viola |
Willie Braun, cello