Featuring premieres by three generations of female American composers, this program showcases the dynamic blending of violin and percussion quartet.

Hear from the composers themselves:

“I see this project as a violin concerto of sorts, but in a more adventurous vein, as a percussion orchestra forms the backdrop for this setting. There is an inherent theatricality in the sound world I am seeking to explore, so as part of the process of composition, I worked with the performers to maximize the use of spatial possibilities in the room, placement of instruments, and movement of performers.”
— Vivian Fung on her New Work

“When I spent some time with the wonderful composer Arvo Pärt, we had a discussion about the origins of music. He felt music came from the voice (or singing) and I had a different idea that it came from the drum (or dancing). Basically, this difference of opinion reflects a longtime split between composers who write mostly for the voice (Pärt, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, etc.) and those that compose mostly for instruments (me, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, etc.). When I was asked to write a piece for violin and percussion, that difference became immediately apparent: how to have these two very different instruments in the same space, living fairly comfortably together.”
— JOAN TOWER on ‘To Sing or Dance’

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This concert is dedicated to Robert Cole and Jean MacGregor for their generous support of Emerald City Music.

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photo credit: Carlin Ma