May 11, 2011
Seattle Modern Orchestra, led by UW alumni, to perform at Meany
The Seattle Modern Orchestra, led by co-artistic directors and School of Music alumni Julia Tai and Jeremy Jolley, will perform their season finale at 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 13, in Meany Hall. The program is titled 20th Century Concerti.
Jeremy Jolley and Julia Tai
The orchestra will perform NoaNoa for Flute and Electronics, by Kaija Saariaho; Anahit for Violin and 18 Instruments, by Giacinto Scelsi; Circles for Soprano, Harp and Percussions, by Luciano Berio; and Chamber Concerto, by Gyorgy Ligeti. Soloists will include Clifford Dunn, flute; Michael Lim, violin; Maria Mannisto, soprano; Valerie Muzzolini Gordon, harp; Matthew Kocmieroski and Gunnar Folsom, percussions.
Tai and Jolley will introduce program selections with illustrative remarks. The Seattle Times has called the pair “new musics answer to George Burns and Gracie Allen” because of their humor and warmth. The orchestra is dedicated to presenting musical masterpieces of the 20th and 21st centuries, and its mission is to provide Seattle audiences with live performances of the best in contemporary chamber and orchestral music, music seldom if ever performed in Seattle until now.
French-American composer Jeremy Jolley grew up in the French Alps where he played guitar in rock and fusion bands. He moved to Seattle to pursue his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Music degrees in Composition from the University of Washington, where he was the recipient of the Brechemin Scholarship in Music as well as the William Bergsma Endowment for Excellence in Music Composition. During that time he studied composition with Joël-François Durand, electronic music with Juan Pampin, and classical guitar with Steven Novacek.
Jolley was awarded a residency in the 2008 Jack Straw Artist Support Program for his work in the improvisation and experimental ensemble Unused Lexical Variable.
Tai has established herself as one of the most capable young conductors on the international stage. Her career has led to acclaimed performances and rehearsals with both professional and youth orchestras around the world, including the American Youth Symphony, Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra, Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Estonian National Youth Symphony, New Symphony Orchestra, and Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Carlos Chávez. She was a conducting participant in the renowned Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice at the New England Conservatory, and a quarter finalist in the fourth Eduardo Mata Conducting Competition in Mexico.
A champion of contemporary music, Tai has premiered many works with the Seattle Chamber Players, Seattle Experimental Opera, and the Affinity Ensemble of the Washington Composers Forum.
Tickets for 20th Century Concerti are $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors. For more information, call 206-543-4880 or visit the School of Music online.
