Nadia Shpachenko, Piano and Guests
Nadia Shpachenko, piano
with guest artists
Megan Ihnen, mezzo-soprano
Michael Hall, viola
Sunday, March 3, 2019, 7 p.m.
Drinkward Recital Hall
Nadia Shpachenko (left), Megan Ihnen (top right), and Michael Hall (bottom right). Photo courtesy of the artists.
PROGRAM
In Full Sail for solo piano (2016)
Harold Meltzer
Sí an Bhrú for piano and electronics (2016)
Time and the River
Stonecutting
Spirals and Zigzags (Homage à Boulez)
Dance of Renewal
Eternal River
Starlit Night
Time and the River
Stonecutting
Spirals and Zigzags (Homage à Boulez)
Dance of Renewal
Eternal River
Starlit Night
Jack Van Zandt
Give Me Your Songs for solo piano (2016)
Hannah Lash
Alone, in waters shimmering and dark for solo piano (2016)
1. Island
2. Capillary Waves
3. To Sky
1. Island
2. Capillary Waves
3. To Sky
James Matheson
Mechanical Dolls for solo piano from Trio: Other Selves (1979)
Victoria Bond
From Six Rags for solo piano (2018)
1. Goose Eye Mountain Rag
3. Mahoosuc Notch Rag
1. Goose Eye Mountain Rag
3. Mahoosuc Notch Rag
Lewis Spratlan
INTERMISSION
Void for soprano, viola, and piano (2013)
Text by Emily Dickinson
Text by Emily Dickinson
Nina C. Young
Sifting Through the Ruins for mezzo-soprano, viola, and piano (2005)
1. …Jeff Hardy…
2. To the Towers Themselves
3. Don’t Look for Me Anymore
4. Untitled
5. Someone Passes
1. …Jeff Hardy…
2. To the Towers Themselves
3. Don’t Look for Me Anymore
4. Untitled
5. Someone Passes
Libby Larsen
Multiple GRAMMY® nominated pianist Nadia Shpachenko enjoys bringing into the world things that are outside the box – powerful pieces that often possess unusual sonic qualities or instrumentation. Nadia’s concert highlights include recitals at Concertgebouw, Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, on the Piano Spheres and Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Green Umbrella and Chamber Music Series, and with numerous orchestras in Europe and the Americas. An enthusiastic promoter of contemporary music, Nadia premiered more than 60 works by Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Daniel Felsenfeld, Tom Flaherty, Annie Gosfield, Vera Ivanova, Leon Kirchner, Amy Beth Kirsten, Hannah Lash, James Matheson, Missy Mazzoli, Harold Meltzer, Adam Schoenberg, Lewis Spratlan, Gernot Wolfgang, Iannis Xenakis, Peter Yates, Jack Van Zandt, and others. Described as “an exceptional recording of newly composed piano works” (Textura Magazine), Nadia’s Reference Recordings CD “Woman at the New Piano” was nominated for 58th GRAMMY® Awards in 3 categories. Described as “a most invigorating and distinctive release” (Fanfare Magazine), Nadia’s 2018 Reference Recordings release “Quotations and Homages” features premieres of solo and collaborative works for 6 pianists (performed with Ray-Kallay Duo, HOCKET and Genevieve Feiwen Lee) inspired by a variety of earlier composers and pieces. Nadia’s new 2019 Reference Recordings album “The Poetry of Places” features premieres of solo and collaborative works (performed with LA Phil pianist Joanne Pearce Martin and LAPQ percussionists Nick Terry and Cory Hills) inspired by diverse buildings. She is a Steinway Artist and professor of music at Cal Poly Pomona University and Claremont Graduate University.
Megan Ihnen is a mezzo-soprano on a mission to change the world through the commissioning, performance, and proliferation of new music. Her performances thrive on elaborate sound worlds and fully-developed dramatic interpretations. Megan has performed with individuals and ensembles around the globe including: International Contemporary Ensemble, Fifth House Ensemble, Great Noise Ensemble, Stone Mason Projects, Rhymes With Opera, SONAR new music and has recently debuted on SPLICE Festival, Oh My Ears, Synchromy, Second Sunday Concert Series at Boston Sculptors Gallery, Winifred M. Kelley Music Series at Salisbury House, ÆPEX Contemporary Performance, Detroit New Music “Strange Beautiful Music Marathon”, Omaha Under the Radar Festival, Works and Process at the Guggenheim Series, Notes on Fiction Series at the Center for Fiction, New Music Gathering, and Contemporary Undercurrent of Song Project. Her “This World of Yes” recital featuring 21st century compositions with saxophonist and composer, Alan Theisen, has traveled to over fifteen cities in the US. Her recording of Garrett Schumann’s “Bound” with Latitude 49 was selected for both the I CARE IF YOU LISTEN Fall 2015 Mixtape and the CarpeDM Seize Des Moines “Music Mix: Volume III” featured at the 2016 SXSW Festival.
Michael Hall is an internationally recognized soloist/teacher with over 50 compositions written for him. He teaches at VanderCook College of Music and is Co-Founder/Artistic Director of the Bandung Philharmonic—the first professional orchestra in Indonesia. As a soloist, Michael has appeared in Chicago’s Orchestra Hall, Vienna, Reykjavik, Bangkok, Sorrento, Los Angeles, New York City, Bali, and Jakarta. He gave the US premiere of Chen Yi’s concerto Xian Shi, and premiered Barlow Prize winning composer Stacy Garrop’s concerto Krakatoa in January 2018. Festivals include the New Music Gathering, Primrose Festival, Thailand International Composition Festival, Chicago’s Ear Taxi Festival, Constellation’s Frequency Series, the American Viola Festival in Oberlin, and the Concerti Cucomella in Italy. He has performed live on NPR, WFMT, and Thailand PBS-TV. His recordings can be found on the Centaur, Delos, Vienna Modern Masters, Acoma, Albany and Parma labels. International cooperation and understanding play a significant role in Michael’s collaborations. In addition to working with composers to bring light to events in Iran, Syria, Albania, Armenia, and Thailand, his role in the Bandung Philharmonic helps to create a model for collaboration between the US and Indonesia - the largest Islamic majority country in the world. Michael has used music to help support women shelters, create libraries in villages in Indonesia, and create pen pal programs between students in Bandung and public schools on Chicago's south side.
HMC is deeply grateful for the generous support that created The Ken Stevens ’61 Founding Class Concert Series.