The Cascade Symphony Orchestra (CSO) will present “Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto,” its sixth and final virtual concert of the 2020-21 season, on Monday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. This online music program, as has been the case for all previous CSO musicales this season, is presented free of charge through the generosity of orchestra donors and patrons.
Welcome spring with a bouquet of musical flowers curated by Music Director Michael Miropolsky, including Ravel’s String Quartet in F major arranged for marimba ensemble, Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 performed by pianist George Fiore, and a new arrangement for string quartet of the Mexican folk tune “La Guacamaya” by Shanti Seidel Molina.
Classical KING FM (98.1) personality Dave Beck will open the May 3 CSO virtual program conversing with Cascade Symphony music director Michael Miropolsky. That will be followed by music for the season.
“With the sun shining and weather warming, we will welcome spring with a bouquet of musical flowers, including French composer Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F major arranged for marimba ensemble,” said Miropolsky, who curated the program’s performances. “In addition, a 2001 recording of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, performed by late pianist George Fiore, will be shown.”
Special thanks to the City of Edmonds Arts Commission
Through a $1,500 grant awarded by the City of Edmonds Arts Commission in March to the Cascade Symphony – for collaborating with Seidel Molina – this video will also be made available for viewing by music classes of the Edmonds School District, along with free sheet music of Seidel Molina’s composition.
A special feature of the online concert will be a new arrangement of Latin American folk music by composer Shanti Seidel Molina, a native of Colima, Mexico. Constellation Musica, a small group of the CSO’s string musicians, performs Seidel Molina’s composition – “La Guacamaya” – in a recently recorded video. The video also includes an interview of the young composer by Rose Gear, CSO’s executive director. The interview portion of the video will be released separately in May.
Composer Shanti Seidel Molina
Seidel Molina, who began her musical career at a young age playing violin, piano, and cello, holds two bachelor degrees, in Music Education and Cello Performance, from Washington Adventist University, and a master’s of music performance degree from Central Michigan University. She has toured worldwide and performed in renowned venues such as England’s Windsor Castle, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Salzburg Cathedral in Austria, and New York City’s Carnegie Hall. Seidel Molina currently resides in Seattle.
The Cascade Symphony’s final virtual concert of the season will also include a performance of “Pacific 231” by composer Arthur Honegger.
How to watch the virtual event
Because all in-person concerts for the season were cancelled due to the pandemic, the symphony has produced five online shows – including one for children.
The public can join this event by visiting either of two online sites. One is via the CSO’s website at https://cascadesymphony.org/virtual. The other link is on the orchestra’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJz1lxpTsqMSpbWjuLE6CnA). After the virtual concert is streamed, it will remain available for on-demand public viewing via these same links.
Financial Support and Contribution
While admission to this concert is free, the Cascade Symphony welcomes donations of any amount. To donate, visit https://cascadesymphony.org/donate/.
The Cascade Symphony hopes to return to presenting in-person concerts at its longtime venue, Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA), beginning in the fall, depending on the status of the coronavirus pandemic and when state officials and public health experts determine it is safe to do so.
Further information about the Cascade Symphony Orchestra can be found online at www.cascadesymphony.org. Any concert schedule updates for the 2021-22 season will be posted on the website and released to the news media when they are available.
