Événement

Mandolympics

For its 2016 spring concert, the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra presents Mandolympics, an internationally themed program that finds the orchestra performing music from four continents in a wide array of styles.
The mandolin is best known in Italian popular music and American folk, said Joseph Pollard White, artistic advisor for the orchestra. And while we fully embrace that tradition, we also intend to demonstrate just how versatile mandolin music is, and how far the instrument has traveled.
To represent Europe, the orchestra will play a quartet from Italian composer Carlo Munier (18591911), who devoted his life to writing solo and ensemble works for the mandolin, as well as the familiar Allegro by Belgian composer Joseph-Hector Fiocco (170341). The North American section of the program features two living composers: Iowas John Goodin, whose works are informed by American folk dance music, and Athens-born Victor Kioulaphides, a Juilliard-trained composer whose eclectic works balance modernism and tradition. The orchestra will also interpret the Pastorale and Rustic Dances by Ernest Bloch, the Swiss composer who emigrated to the U.S. in 1916 and settled in Oregon.
With the inclusion of Yume by Katsumi Nagaoka, Mandolympics acknowledges the incredible popularity of the mandolin in Japan (one survey reported 188 mandolin ensembles in Tokyo alone). Finally, the orchestra will pay tribute to the irresistible rhythms of Brazilhost of this years Summer Olympicswith two pieces from Brazilian virtuoso Jacob do Bandolim, as well as the sultry Manhã de Carnaval from the film Black Orpheus, by Luiz Bonfá.
Mandolympics is a team sport, said White. While weve worked with a number of exciting soloists and will continue doing so as often as we can, this time the spotlight is entirely on the orchestra and what we can do as a group. The concert is scheduled for Saturday, June 11, 7 p.m., at Seattles Green Lake United Methodist Church, 6415 First Ave. NE. For tickets, visit mandolympics.brownpapertickets.com.
Since taking the podium for the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra in 2010, Joseph Pollard White has worked with the group to reinterpret the music of Mozart, Mendelssohn, Haydn, Brahms and other composers, exploring the mandolin as a legitimate voice in classical music as well as other styles. A native of New York, he completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Conducting at the University of Washington, where he was a student of Robert Feist. He also holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the Indiana University School of Music. Dr. White is also Music Director of Seattles Thalia Symphony, and has taught at Northern Kentucky University, Christopher Newport University and Pacific Lutheran University. He has worked with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Seattle Chamber Players and Northwest Mahler Festival and served as Music Director of the Rainier Symphony and Seattle Civic Light Opera.

Founded in 1980, the Seattle Mandolin Orchestra is dedicated to revitalizing America's mandolin ensemble tradition. Featuring the entire mandolin family of instruments, including mandolin, mandola, mandocello and mandobass, as well as guitar, the group performs throughout the Seattle area. The Orchestra's CD, Coloratura, will be for sale at the concert. It includes classical selections, Italian favorites and Renaissance art songs, featuring the captivating vocals of soprano soloist Julie Finch. Concertgoers can also purchase the Orchestra's holiday CD, Rejoice, which also features Julie's vocals. For more information, visit www.seattlemandolin.org.