by Kay Curry
Northwest Asia Weekly
Every year, the Seattle Symphony hosts Celebrate Asia, a cornucopia of Asian dance and music that puts spring on our feet when the weather warms up — and seems to admit, especially in times of pandemic and global conflict, We’ve made a contribution for another year. Multicultural arts events like these bring hope to communities through diversity, color and voice, allowing us to weather adversity and look to the future.
This year’s event presents two new performances and brings back traditional favorites such as the International Lion Dance Martial Arts Team and the CHIKIRI and Taiko School. As always, pre- and post-concert festivities will take place in the Samuel & Althea Stroum lobby at Benaroya Hall, with the main event taking place in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium. The entire event is part of the Symphony Orchestra’s new musical composition programme.
Kachun Wong (Photo by Angie Kremer Photography)
After lion dancers welcome guests into the auditorium, they will enjoy a musical feast from the Seattle Symphony Orchestra conducted by Singaporean Kahchun Wong.
Huang is the Principal Conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra and has been hailed as “one of the most exciting and innovative musicians of his generation” by Arabella Arts and others. He attracted attention when he won the Gustav Mahler conducting competition in 2016, and has conducted many world-renowned orchestras in his career. Along with Mahler’s own granddaughter, Wong founded Project Infinitude to support children’s education in the arts, an area of greatest concern to Wong. He also received the Order of Merit from the German President – and is the only Singaporean artist to receive this honor.
Celebrating Asia will begin with Toshio Hosokawa’s “Meditation,” an elegy for the victims of the 2011 tsunami in Japan.
“Music is where notes and silence meet,” Hosokawa said, and the “meditation” performance will be both, starting with silence and mimicking the sounds of an approaching storm.
From there, guests will have the privilege of witnessing the U.S. premiere of Tan Dun’s Trombone Concerto: Three Muses in a Video Game, which will have its world premiere in 2021.
Jörgen van Rijen, principal trombone of the Netherlands Concert Hall Orchestra, said: “This work is exciting, funky and spectacular, interspersed with beautiful, sweet, Chinese melodies. Van Rijen and the orchestra say the piece was inspired by Movie and video game music, and three Chinese instruments: Xiqin, Bili and Sheng.
Tan Dun is an American-born Chinese-American composer who draws inspiration from both the East and the West.
Koichiro Yamamoto (Photo by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra)
In the upcoming Seattle/U.S. premiere of Hosokawa’s work, the trombone will be played by Principal Trombone Koichiro Yamamoto of the Seattle Conservatory of Music teacher and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and the Saito-Kinen Orchestra (a special orchestra created in honor of Hideo Saito), East Co-founder of Po Gakuen Conservatory of Music).
The audience will be enthralled by the world premiere of composer-in-residence Lina Ismail’s “Violin Concerto”. According to the Seattle Symphony, the tune is “about humanity’s impact on the planet throwing the elements out of balance” and echoes the theme established by “Meditation.” Human-nature interactions are often dangerous, but always have the potential to re-establish balance and improve.
Violinist Kala Ramnath will perform this concerto, commissioned for her by the Seattle Symphony. Ramnath is a Hindustani classical violinist of the lineage of Indian musician Mewati gharana. Raised in a musical family, Ramnath has worked on a number of important projects, including the soundtrack for the film Blood Diamond.
She emulates Celebrate Asia’s mission in a truly intercultural approach to showcase multiple world musical traditions by collaborating with artists from India, Australia, the US and the UK. She formed several world music bands and collaborated with the likes of Ray Manzarek of rock band The Doors.
Kala Ramath (Photo by Seattle Symphony Orchestra)
Like Wong, Ramneth invests in the future of young people through a foundation she established called Kalashree. This charitable organization aims not only to support aspiring and financially disadvantaged children learning music, but also to preserve Hindustani music and finally provide healing to sick children through music.
The show will conclude with a performance of French composer Claude Debussy’s “La Mer” (“The Sea”) and another piece reminiscent of water. Guests will leave the auditorium refreshed, refreshed, and ready for a new day, a new year, and until the next, to the uplifting rhythm of CHIKIRI and the Taiko School.
The Seattle Symphony Orchestra’s Celebrate Asia will be live and streamed on March 20.For more information or to get tickets, visit Seattle Symphony.org.
Kay can reach info@nwasianweekly.com.
