Delights & Dances

 About

Kinetic closes its unprecedented season with an all-American dance-inspired program explores the importance of dance in our communities, whether it is through religious rituals, a celebration of shared culture and identity, or collective grief and mourning. The role of community has never been more essential in our lives, as we recover from a dark and isolating year of this pandemic.

Higdon’s Breeze Serenade was originally part of a larger work, Dance Card. She writes, “This work reflects the deep commitment that string players bring to their music making, not only in the many years of learning to play their instruments, but also in the dedication manifested in gorgeous music-making as an ensemble.”

Adam’s Shaker Loops was inspired by the composer’s childhood memories of a Christian colony in New Hampshire called the Shakers, “the vision of these otherwise pious and industrious souls caught up in the ecstatic frenzy of a dance that culminated in an epiphany of physical and spiritual transcendence.” 

William Bolcom dedicated his most famous composition, Graceful Ghost Rag, to the memory of his father. The simple, bittersweet melody, starts with the viola while the other musicians’ dancing rhythms in the background help conjure up feelings of nostalgia and longing.

Abel’s Dances and Delights was written in celebration of the Sphinx Organization’s 10th anniversary. Abels writes, “The piece begins with a slow, graceful introduction, which reveals a blues section. Soloists take turns playing virtuostic cadenzas over the orchestras gentle, rhythmic pizzicato. The final section is a raucous hoedown, with more technically dazzling solos by the [string] quartet.” 

Curated by Samuel Park

Program

Jennifer Higdon: “Breeze Serenade” from Dance Card
John Adams: Shaker Loops (septet version)
William Bolcom: Graceful Ghost Rag
Michael Abels: Delights and Dances string quartet + strings

Performers

Samuel Park, violin + curator
Natalie Lin Douglas, violin
Jacob Schafer, violin
Giancarlo Latta, violin
Cindy Ahn, violin
Matt Lammers, violin
Marisa Ishikawa, violin
Natalie Lee, violin
Sebastian Stefanovic, viola
Sergein Yap, viola
Nick Lindell, viola
David Olson, cello
Bree Ahern, cello
John Belk, cello
Mas Podgorny, bass

Playlist

Listen to a preview of this program on our Spotify playlist.