Emerald City Music: Oboe / Oboe (world premiere)
$55 with open bar, $40 without ($10 student)
- Titus Underwood, oboe
- James Austin Smith, oboe
- Kristin Lee, violin
- Ling Ling Huang, violin
- Ayane Kozasa, viola
- Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello
- Rachel Calin, double bass
- Oksana Ejokina (Ezhokina), piano
Marina Dranishnikova — Poem
Mark O'Connor — Quartet for Violin, Viola, Cello, and Doublebass
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Oboe Quartet in F major, K. 370
Fred Onovwerosuoke — Selected works (world premiere; new work for 2 oboes & string quintet; commissioned by Emerald City Music)
Experience two superstar oboists in a show unveiling the double reed instrument's versatility, from baroque works to a world premiere by Ghanaian-American composer Fred Onovwerosouke.
In detail: Emerald City Music showcases the dextrous versatility of the oboe – a traditionally solo instrument – as a duo. The program was created with two specific super star oboists in mind: returning artist, James Austin Smith and Emerald City Music debut artist, Titus Underwood. The evening explores historical keystone pieces written for the oboe – from the baroque era to classical, mid-20th century, and finally to the contemporary sounds of 2024. The flurry of oboes is interjected with a light hearted and virtuosic piece by Mark O'Connor for violin, viola, cello, and double bass. The program features a world premiere by Fred Onovwerosuoke commissioned by Emerald City Music, written for two solo oboes and string quintet. The American composer, who was born in Ghana of Nigerian parents, writes music that bears influences from across Africa, the Caribbean, and the American Deep South. Instrumentation that features two oboes in double-soli is exceedingly rare and the works with this configuration were primarily popular in only the baroque era. The program platforms one of these works, Albinoni's Concerto, published in 1722, bookending the evening with its modern counterpart.
This program will receive 2 performances: Friday, February 9, 8pm at 415 Westlake in Seattle; and Saturday, February 10, 7:30pm at the Kenneth J. Minnaert Center for the Arts in Olympia.
About Titus Underwood, oboe
About James Austin Smith, oboe
About Kristin Lee, violin
About Ling Ling Huang, violin
Ling Ling Huang is a violinist and writer. Committed to expanding the concepts of tradition, Ling Ling is an active presence in the New York musical scene, appearing on stages from Carnegie Hall to National Sawdust. Her debut novel, Natural Beauty, was published in April 2023 by Dutton, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Constance Wu and Drew Comins are producing a series adaptation.
https://www.linglinghuang.com/About Ayane Kozasa, viola
About Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello
About Rachel Calin, double bass
About Oksana Ejokina (Ezhokina), piano
Russian-born pianist Oksana Ejokina appears frequently as guest recitalist and chamber musician on concert series across the United States and abroad. Oksana is the pianist of the Volta Piano Trio, whose recordings received accolades in multiple international music magazines, such as The Strad, Gramophone and American Record Guide. A sought-after teacher, Ejokina is Chair of Piano Studies and Assistant Professor of Music at Pacific Lutheran University. She has been associated with the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts for nearly fifteen years serving as Artistic Director of several flagship classical music programs.
https://www.plu.edu/music/staff/oksana-ezhokina/