Choose Your Adventure
Sunday, January 8, 2023 3 PM
Central High School Auditorium
1530 Monmouth Street, Independence, OR, 97351
and/or
Sunday, January 29, 2023 3 PM
Rose Auditorium, South Salem High School
700 Howard Street, Salem, OR, 97302
The Salem Symphonic Winds is pleased to present the US premiere of the Tango Suite from Astor Piazzolla’s opera Maria de Buenos Aires. The Rainbow Dance Theater, mezzo-soprano Hannah Penn, and accordion soloist Tommy Thompson will join the band to transport you to the passion and mystique that envelops Argentina’s largest city. The band will be further augmented by Crystal Zimmerman on piano, Georgienne Young on cello, Whitney Moulton on String Bass, and Amy Moreland on Harp. The vocal parts are sung in Spanish, but the language of the Tango is universal.
Rainbow Dance Theatre has been thrilling audiences since 1991. Their ensemble of eight virtuoso dancers transforms the concert stage into a world of mystery, pathos and humor. Combined with the passion of the live music of Piazzolla and the visually stunning costumes, the distinctive choreography of artistic directors Darryl Thomas and Valerie Bergman will take our audiences to magical places. This is the third collaboration between Salem Symphonic Winds and Rainbow Dance Theatre, the last being the production of The Garden of Earthly Delights, music by Leroy Osmon, in January of 2018.
Our featured vocalist, Hannah Penn, enjoys a diverse career as a performer of opera, oratorio, and recital literature. Her sultry voice is a perfect match for the role of Maria in Piazzolla's only tango opera. Hannah was featured singing selections from Bizet's opera Carmen and William Bolcom's Five Cabaret Songs in March of 2021 with Salem Symphonic Winds.
Tommy Thompson is best known for his 35 years as a string bass performer with the Oregon Symphony. His credits as an accordion player include three appearances accompanying the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti in Portland. He will perform the solo parts originally played by Piazzolla on the bandoneon, a type of concertina that is typical to most tango ensembles.
The musical feast for the senses continues with Philip Sparke’s Sunrise at Angel’s Gate. This work depicts one of America’s most stunning national parks, the Grand Canyon, at dawn, with trilling birdsongs and its vibrant sunrise, as the morning light gradually reveals the towering rock formations.
Sheltering Sky, by John Mackey, is described by Jake Wallace as “a nostalgic portrait of time suspended”. It includes touches of familiar folk songs interwoven with original melodies, evoking a dreamlike state in the listener that is wistful and poignant. To round out the sensual experience, it will be performed with a beautiful, projected “cartoon” animated film.
Award-winning composer and animal lover Julie Giroux wrote Our Cast Aways, a work dedicated to adopted animals and, specifically, “those who rescue, those who get rescued, and especially for those whose rescue never comes”. Local children are invited to submit photos of pets they have rescued and adopted from local animal shelters in return for free tickets to the concert. Some images will be projected during our performance of the work. (See instructions below.) We invite audience members to donate pet supplies, food, etc., to support local animal shelters.
We round out the program with Unveiling, a dramatic new fanfare by Brian Sadler. The concert will be performed twice: first in the auditorium at Central High School in Independence, Oregon on Sunday, January 8th, and then in Rose Auditorium at South Salem High School on Sunday, January 29th.
Masking and proof of vaccination are no longer required for audience attendance but are highly encouraged. Social distancing is recommended.
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