WELCOME 3
CONCERTS AT THE GALLERY
Welcome to the 2018 – 2019 season of concerts at the National Gallery of Art. In our seventy-seventh season, we examine — in a way that we are uniquely equipped to do — the relevance of the arts in today’s world. Throughout our thirty-six Sunday and eight Friday performances, we ask the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how music and art reflect — and affect — our daily lives in the twenty-first century. We hope our spectrum of performers, exhibition-related concerts, and special themes will nourish and celebrate the importance of expression through the visual and performing arts.
top Tapestry, photo by Susan Wilson. middle left Inscape Chamber Orchestra, photo by Jennifer White- Johnson. middle right Daniel Schlosberg, photo by Erin Clendenin. bottom Air Force Strings, photo by MSgt Joshua Kowalsky.
seventy-seventh season
4 CALENDAR
CALENDARThe seventy-seventh season of concerts at the National Gallery of Art is open to the public, free of charge. Admittance is on a first-come basis thirty minutes before the concert begins. For further information, call (202) 842-6941 or visit nga.gov/music.
Unless otherwise noted, concerts are held in the West Building, West Garden Court.
SEPTEMBER
16 | Sunday | 3:30
Living Art Collective Ensemble (LACE) Elisa Monte Dance p16
23 | Sunday | 3:30
Emilio Solla Tango-Jazz Trio p6
28 | Friday | 12:10 Location TBD
New York Opera Society p22
30 | Sunday | 3:30
Piffaro: The Renaissance Band p16
OCTOBER
7 | Sunday | 3:30
Julie Fowlis, vocalist p6
14 | Sunday | 3:30
Curtis on Tour: Jason Vieaux, guitar Nigel Armstrong, violin p6
21 | Sunday | 3:30
Vox Luminis p6
26 | Friday | 12:10 Location TBD
Trio Sefardi p22
28 | Sunday | 3:30
PUBLIQuartet With Ian Rosenbaum p16
NOVEMBER
4 | Sunday | 4:00 East Building Auditorium
Flophouse Crew p19
11 | Sunday | 3:30
Tapestry p24
18 | Sunday | 3:30
Nobuntu p8
23 | Friday | 12:10 Location TBD
PROJECT Trio p22
25 | Sunday | 3:30
M5 Mexican Brass p9
DECEMBER
2 | Sunday | 3:30
Carolina Eyck + American Contemporary Music Ensemble p9
8 | Saturday | 1:30 | 2:30 West Building Rotunda
U.S. Army Chorus p26
9 | Sunday | 1:30 | 2:30 West Building Rotunda
Encore Chorale Jeanne Kelly, director p26
9 | Sunday | 3:30
Mettis String Quartet With Gabrielius Alekna, piano p9
15 | Saturday | 1:30 | 2:30 West Building Rotunda
Westminster Presbyterian Choir and Ringers Benjamin Hutchens, director p26
CALENDAR 5
16 | Sunday | 1:30 | 2:30 West Building Rotunda
Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School Choir Kelly Kingett, director p26
16 | Sunday | 3:30
Hot Club of San Francisco p26
23 | Sunday | 3:30
Daniel Schlosberg, piano Jessica Aszodi, soprano Russell Rolen, cello p24
28 | Friday | 12:10 Location TBD
Eric Mintel Quartet p22
30 | Sunday | 3:30
Suchertorte Chamber Ensemble, Jeffrey Schindler, conductor p25
JANUARY
6 | Sunday | 3:30
New York Opera Society p19
13 | Sunday | 3:30
Air Force Strings p25
20 | Sunday | 3:30 East Building Auditorium
Krakauer-Tagg Duo p10
25 | Friday | 12:10 Location TBD
Noah Getz and Friends p22
27 | Sunday | 3:30
Inscape Chamber Orchestra Richard Scerbo, director p25
FEBRUARY
3 | Sunday | 3:30
Trio Valtorna p10
10 | Sunday | 3:30
Sō Percussion p10
17 | Sunday | 3:30
Lara St. John, violin Matt Herskowitz, piano p10
22 | Friday | 12:10
Armonia Nova p22
24 | Sunday | 3:30
Curtis on Tour: Curtis Opera Theatre Vocal Quartet p12
MARCH
3 | Sunday | 3:30
Noah Getz and Friends p24
10 | Sunday | 3:30
Peter Vinograde, piano p12
17 | Sunday | 3:30
Parthenia With Ryland Angel, countertenor p19
22 | Friday | 12:10 Location TBD
Eya p22
24 | Sunday | 3:30
Natalie Clein, cello p13
31 | Sunday | 3:30
Fauré Quartett p13
APRIL
7 | Sunday | 3:30
Haimovitz–Iyer Duo p15
14 | Sunday | 3:30
East Coast Chamber Orchestra p15
21 | Sunday | 3:30
Living Art Collective Ensemble (LACE) Elisa Monte Dance DJ Twelve45 p20
26 | Friday | 12:10 Location TBD
Duo Sonidos p22
28 | Sunday | 3:30
The Brandee Younger Trio p15
MAY
5 | Sunday | 3:30
Poulenc Trio p20
12 | Sunday | 3:30
The Canales Project p15
19 | Sunday | 3:30
Yumi Kurosawa, koto With Anubrata Chatterjee, tabla, and Virgil Gadsen, dancer p20
6 FEATURED SUNDAY CONCERTS
WHO MOVES US?The National Gallery of Art’s concert series presents weekly Sunday performances by outstanding local, national, and international artists, all of whom have myriad experiences to share. Enjoy tango, traditional Scottish songs, African gospel music, the genius of Bach, and so much more on the following afternoons.
Emilio Solla Tango-Jazz Trio
September 23, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
“The virile throb of Astor Piazzolla was omni- present in Solla’s stately pulse.” — The New York Times
Recognized worldwide as one of the most personal composers of the post-Piazzolla generation, Grammy-nominated Argentine pianist, composer, and bandleader Emilio Solla brings his tango passion and jazz improv to the Gallery, along with his virtuoso Tango- Jazz Trio partners, French bandoneonist / accordionist Julien Labro and American saxophonist Chris Cheek.
Julie Fowlis, vocalist
October 7, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Music of the Scottish Isles
Julie Fowlis’s exquisite voice, interpretation of Scottish Gaelic culture, and ability to bring folk music out of the past and into our times with irresistible dynamism have made her a genuine, award-winning star. Her unique ability to interpret the Scottish Gaelic culture of her roots resonates with all who hear her sing.
Curtis on Tour: Jason Vieaux, guitar, and Nigel Armstrong, violin
October 14, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
The Gallery brings back Curtis on Tour, The Nina von Maltzahn Global Touring Initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music, for a third year as Curtis’s exclusive presenter in Washington, with faculty member Jason Vieaux on the guitar and violin alumus Nigel Armstrong performing solos and duos. The program includes Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango, Mauro Giuliani’s Gran Duetto Concertante, op. 52, Antônio Carlos Jobim’s Medley of 3 Tunes (guitar with violin improvisation), and Manuel de Falla’s Seven Canciones Populares Española.
Vox Luminis
October 21, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Funeral Music for a Prince and a Queen
One project, one objective, one path: introduce today’s audiences to early vocal music, passionately conveying its quintes-sence, and touching the light through the voice — Vox Luminis. This concert features works by Thomas Morley, Martin Luther, Henry Purcell, and Heinrich Schütz.
top Vox Luminis, photo by David Samyn. middle left Julie Fowlis, photo by Fowlis Photography. middle right Emilio Solla, photo by Emilio Solla Music. bottom Jason Vieaux, photo by GMD Three.
FEATURED SUNDAY CONCERTS
8 FEATURED SUNDAY CONCERTS
Nobuntu
November 18, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Nobuntu, the female a cappella quintet from Zimbabwe, has drawn international acclaim for its inventive performances that range from traditional Zimbabwean songs to Afro jazz and gospel. The ensemble’s concerts are performed with pure voices, augmented by minimalistic percussion, traditional
instruments, and organic, authentic dance movements. “Nobuntu” is an African concept that values humbleness, love, unity, and family from a woman’s perspective. The ensemble represents a new generation of young African women singers who celebrate and preserve their culture, beauty, and heritage through art. The ensemble’s mission is the belief that music can be an important vehicle for change, one that transcends racial, tribal, religious, gender, and economic boundaries.
FEATURED SUNDAY CONCERTS 9
M5 Mexican Brass
November 25, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Brasscinación Serious fun from the baroque to Broadway!
Founded in 2005, M5 Mexican Brass has gained wide international recognition as Latin America’s most successful brass quintet. The group’s recipe lies in its mix of high-class music-making and humor. Skilled at performing virtuosic chamber music in a broad variety of styles with a sound that is M5’s alone, the ensemble adds audience interaction, showmanship, and an inimitable Latin American charm to its concerts, each a unique musical- theatrical experience.
Carolina Eyck + American Contemporary Music Ensemble
December 2, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Fantasias
Theremin virtuoso and composer Carolina Eyck joins the American Contemporary Music Ensemble for the Washington, DC, premiere of their collaborative project, Fantasias, which was released to critical acclaim on Butterscotch Records in 2016. For the project, Eyck composed six minimalist- inspired string quartet pieces, over which she improvises a solo theremin part. With these pieces, Eyck strives to sonically investigate the interplay between nature and human imagination. Eyck’s musically daring and physically challenging composi-tions defy easy classification, while her uncanny mastery of the theremin and use of electronic effects bring an authentically fresh sonic pallet to the forefront.
Mettis String Quartet With Gabrielius Alekna, piano
December 9, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Presented in collaboration with the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania
The Mettis String Quartet, named after an ancient Greek mythological figure known for her cunning, wisdom, and skill, collaborates with pianist Gabrielius Alekna in a concert celebrating Lithuanian composers. The program includes Remigijus Merkelys’s MiKonst for piano and string quartet, M. K. Čiurlionis’s String Quartet, Philip Glass’s String Quartet no. 2 (Company), and Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet, op. 44.
top left Nobuntu, photo by Tswarelo Mothobe. top right Carolina Eyck, photo by Christian Hüller. bottom M5 Mexican Brass, photo by Jérôme Direz. top Gabrielius Alekna, photo by Gedmantas Kropis.
10 FEATURED SUNDAY CONCERTS
Sō Percussion
February 10, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
The Keyboard Re-imagined
Sō Percussion performs works originally composed for keyboard instruments. The program includes selections from Elliot Cole’s Postludes for Bowed Vibraphone, Vijay Iyer’s Torque, selections from Dan Trueman’s Nostalgic Synchronic (for pre-pared digital piano), Jason Treuting’s Nine Numbers 4, Caroline Shaw’s Taxidermy, Donnacha Dennehy’s Broken Unison, and a new work by Suzanne Farrin.
Lara St. John, violin Matt Herskowitz, piano
February 17, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Lauded as “something of a phenomenon” by the Strad and a “high-powered soloist” by the New York Times, Canadian-born violinist Lara St. John has performed as a soloist internationally, created her own label, Ancalagon, in 1999, and recorded with such distinguished orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic. Pianist, composer, and arranger Matt Herskowitz has combined superlative classical technique with his prowess in jazz, world music, and free improvisation to produce critically acclaimed recordings and establish collabora-tions with top classical, jazz, and pop artists.
In this program, the duo performs Beetho-ven’s “Kreutzer” Sonata, Milica Paranosic’s Rumelaj, Martin Kennedy’s “Song of the Moon,” Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane, and Gershwin / Herskowitz’s “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
top Sō Percussion, photo by Evan Monroe Chapman. middle left Lara St. John, photo by Clive Barda. middle right Trio Valtorna, photo by Bernard Mindich. bottom Krakauer-Tagg Duo, photo by Tasja Keetman.
Krakauer-Tagg Duo
January 20, 2019 | 3:30 East Building Auditorium
Breath and Hammer
Breath and Hammer features David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg’s original compositions and fresh arrangements of “simple songs” by such composers as New York–based visionary John Zorn, Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and Cuban percussionist Roberto Rodríguez. The duo’s influences range from interlocking African drumming patterns to romantic symphonic music, minimalism, and klezmer. These diverse and seemingly disparate musical inspirations intermingle and transform into something entirely new: a hybrid art form that bridges the cultures of the past with new work that looks toward the future.
Trio Valtorna
February 3, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
After performing together at the “Music from Angel Fire” Chamber Music Festival, renowned violinist Ida Kavafian and French horn player extraordinaire David Jolley decided to continue in collaboration and in 2011 added the young pianist Gilles Vonsattel to form Trio Valtorna. Fred Kirshnit, writing in the New York Sun, called Kavafian’s artistry
“meaningful and affecting,” while the New Yorker praised Jolley’s “richly melancholy horn solos,” and David Weininger in the Boston Globe observed the “clarity and light touch” of Vonsattel. The trio’s program includes John Harbison’s Twilight Music for Horn, Piano, and Violin, Maurice Ravel’s Violin Sonata no. 2 in G Major, and Brahms’s Horn Trio in E-flat Major, op. 40.
12 FEATURED SUNDAY CONCERTS
Curtis on Tour: Curtis Opera Theatre Vocal Quartet
February 24, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Liebeslieder Waltzes
The Curtis Institute of Music, “one of the world’s finest music academies” (BBC Culture), produces top prizewinners of international competitions, soloists with major ensembles, and today’s most promising artists. Hear the future stars of opera in this thrilling and diverse program of operatic favorites, gems from the American songbook, and the elegant Liebeslieder Waltzes by Brahms. Curtis on Tour is The Nina von Maltzahn Global Touring Initiative of the Curtis Institute of Music.
Peter Vinograde, piano
March 10, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
J. S. Bach’s Seven Keyboard Toccatas
Bach’s Seven Keyboard Toccatas are youthful, improvisatory, virtuoso works, composed after Bach traveled on foot for ten days to hear Dieterich Buxtehude — perhaps the greatest organist of all time. The influence of Buxtehude’s extravagant and unrestrained technique can clearly be heard in the works, which present a formidable challenge to the modern-day performer.
An outstanding interpreter of J. S. Bach and contemporary composers, pianist Peter Vinograde regularly tours North America and Asia, with a recent world premiere in New York City of Michael Matthews’s De Reflejo a Fulgor for piano and digital sound. He first performed at the National Gallery of Art in 1987.
FEATURED SUNDAY CONCERTS 13
Natalie Clein, cello
March 24, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
British cellist Natalie Clein has built a distin-guished career, regularly performing at major venues and with orchestras worldwide. She is an exclusive recording artist for Hyperion and has recorded Camille Saint-Saëns’s two cello concertos, as well as Ernest Bloch’s Schelomo and Max Bruch’s KOL Nidrei with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Born in the United Kingdom, Clein came to widespread attention at the age of sixteen when she won both the BBC Young Musician of the Year award and the Eurovision Competition for Young Musicians. This program, Clein’s debut United States tour, includes works by Nadia Boulanger, Frank Bridge, Rebecca Clarke, and Elisabeth Lutyens.
Fauré Quartett
March 31, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
The Fauré Quartett musicians met during their studies in 1995 in Karlsruhe during the 150th anniversary of Gabriel Fauré’s birth and quickly realized their combination offered new insights into undiscovered repertoire. The ensemble soon established itself as one of the world’s leading piano quartets, and in 2006, signed a contract with Deutsche Grammophon. The group has made highly regarded recordings of works by Mozart, Brahms, and Mendelssohn, as well as pop songs by Peter Gabriel and Steely Dan. This program includes works by Fauré, Mahler, and Schumann.
top left Curtis Opera Theatre Vocal Quartet, photo by Karli Cadel. top Peter Vinograde, photo by Jeffrey Lang-ford. bottom Natalie Clein, photo by Sussie Ahlburg.
FEATURED SUNDAY CONCERTS 15
The Canales Project
May 12, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Hear Her Voice, Part II: A Mother’s Day Celebration
This program celebrates extraordinary female leaders who have devoted themselves to making the world a better place. The project has brought together over thirty acclaimed artists to create a series of new songs inspired by the words of these remarkable female leaders. Past honorees include Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Sister Marilyn Lacey, Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama, and past composers include Georgia Stitt, Tania León, Emily Estefan, and Molly Joyce. This year’s program honors a special group of interna-tional women, including Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan) and Lan Yang (China), and features lullabies from around the world.
top left Fauré Quartett, photo by Mat Hennek. middle left Matt Haimovitz, photo by Brent Calis. middle right Brandee Younger, photo by Kyle Pompey. bottom East Coast Chamber Orchestra, photo by Steve Langdon. top Vijay Iyer, photo by Lena Adasheva.
Haimovitz–Iyer Duo
April 7, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Cellist Matt Haimovitz, an artist whose barrier-breaking performances have taken him around the world, collaborates with renowned pianist / composer Vijay Iyer in a program that defies definition. Iyer’s reper-toire, alongside the music of Zakir Hussein, John McLaughlin, J. S. Bach, Ravi Shankar, Billy Strayhorn, and others, flows seamlessly, creating a program of virtuosity and depth.
East Coast Chamber Orchestra
April 14, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
An Ancient Walkabout
This concert explores the depth and virtuosity of early music, while simultaneously connect-ing the Western classical tradition to South American inspired works. The chaconne form serves as the program’s running thread, and composers include Bach, Purcell, Britten, and contemporary pianist / composer Gabriela Lena Frank.
The Brandee Younger Trio
April 28, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
The fearless and versatile harpist Brandee Younger plays in the avant-garde tradition of her sonically forward forebears, Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. She is known for expressive interpretations of traditional harp repertoire, as well as her work with a diverse cross section of musical talents. She has shared the stage with jazz leaders and popular hip-hop and R&B titans, including Ravi Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Charlie Haden, Jack Dejohnette, Reggie Workman, The Roots, Common, Maxwell, John Legend, and Lauryn Hill.
16 HIGHLIGHTING SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS
WHAT INSPIRED THEM?We listen with our eyes as much as we hear with our ears. Likewise, painters and sculp-tors throughout the ages have been inspired by music, that of their contemporaries as well as their predecessors. In some cases, visual artists have also been musicians. These concerts highlight connections between the visual and performing arts and reveal unlikely muses, multitalented artists, and cultural connections that inform the art in a new way.
Living Art Collective Ensemble (LACE) Elisa Monte Dance
September 16, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Celebrating Corot: Women
interLACEd: Corot and His Circle
The Living Art Collective Ensemble (LACE) —formed under the auspices of the National Gallery of Art concert series — creates performances that connect historic art and musical events to modern-day experiences. In Corot’s pictorial creations, music, opera, and theater play a role almost as important as nature. LACE brings the world of music into Corot’s unique realm, highlighting the women who inspired not only his work, but whose contributions to the world of music and art are immeasurable. The program features music by Louise Farrenc, Clara Schumann, and Pauline Viardot.
top Elisa Monte Dance, photo by Matthew Murphy. bottom left Ian Rosenbaum, photo by Matt Fried. bottom right PUBLIQuartet, photo by Ryan Scherb.
Piffaro: The Renaissance Band
September 30, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Celebrating Water, Wind, and Waves: Marine Paintings from the Dutch Golden Age
Water, Wind, and Waves: The Wind Band at Sea
Historic songs of the seas can be found in many cultures. During the Age of Discovery in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, explorers took trained musicians along with them, especially wind bands. Piffaro’s program centers around two groups of seafaring nations, the Low Countries and England, and Spain and Italy. The composers include, Thomas Ravenscroft, John Dowland, John Coperario, Francisco Guerrero, Mateo Flecha, and Andrea Gabrieli.
PUBLIQuartet With Ian Rosenbaum, percussion
October 28, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Celebrating Rachel Whiteread
MIND/ THE /GAP
Applauded by the Washington Post as “a perfect encapsulation of today’s trends in chamber music,” PUBLIQuartet’s programs span the classical canon and also feature open-form improvisations that expand the traditional string quartet genre. This pro-gram features three original works from the quartet’s MIND|THE|GAP initiative — developed to generate interest in new music and keep traditional classical music relevant to modern audiences — as well as composer Andy Akiho’s LIgNEouS for string quartet and marimba, featuring percussionist Ian Rosenbaum, for whom the piece was written.
HIGHLIGHTING SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS
HIGHLIGHTING SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS 19
Flophouse Crew
November 4, 2018 | 4:00 East Building Auditorium
Celebrating Gordon Parks: The New Tide, Early Work 1940 – 1950
Best remembered as a photographer who spent sixty years documenting people, places, and events, Gordon Parks first made a living as a musician. From childhood, he played the piano by ear, and despite not knowing how to read or write music, he began composing his own pieces. While Parks would soon take up the camera more seriously than the piano, he continued to compose music. The Flophouse Crew performs a number of his works while his photographs display on the screen.
New York Opera Society
January 6, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Celebrating Sense of Humor
The Evolution of Fools: From Jesters to Buffoons
Today’s reality entertainment was foretold by grand opera long before the advent of television. Jesters in ancient civilizations formed the cornerstone of entertainment, alleviating cares with their verbal jousting. Over time, the jesters evolved to entities
“wise enough to play the fool” (William Shakespeare), and finally, to the buffoon. Ruggero Leoncavallo and Giuseppe Verdi experimented with every facet of laughter, satire, and tragedy commensurate with the fool’s transformation from the court to the stage, to modern times. The concert features excerpts from Pagliacci (Leoncavallo), Falstaff (Verdi), and Rigoletto (Verdi), as well as original dialogue by renowned opera director Marc Verzatt.
Parthenia With Ryland Angel, countertenor
March 17, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Celebrating Drawing in Tintoretto’s Venice and Venetian Prints in the Time of Tintoretto
Tomb Sonnets
In celebration of the 500th anniversary of Tintoretto’s birth, Parthenia and guest vocalist Ryland Angel offer sublime works for voice and viols by Italian Renaissance masters from the age of the sonnet. Composers include Luca Marenzio, Philippe Verdelot, Jacques Arcadelt, Cipriano de Rore, Girolamo Fresco-baldi, and Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli — uncle and nephew whose composing skills were honed in Venice and defined the era’s style. The program also features Martin Kennedy’s song cycle Tomb Sonnets (2014) for viol consort and countertenor, which explores poetic studies of death and burial in sonnets by Petrarch, Keats, and Longfellow.
top left Parthenia, photo by William Wegman. bottom Piffaro, photo by Church Street Studios. top Ryland Angel, photo by Karsten Moran.
20 HIGHLIGHTING SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS
Poulenc Trio
May 5, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Celebrating The American Pre-Raphaelites: Radical Realists
From Nature, Truth: Whitman, Ruskin, and the American Pre-Raphaelites
Painter, writer, and art critic John Ruskin exhorted artists to “Paint the leaves as they grow! If you can paint one leaf, you can paint the world!” His words inspired the American Pre-Raphaelites, a group of artists who created landscapes and portraits in close-up detail. Ruskin admired his contemporary, the poet Walt Whitman, who also wrote about the glories of the natural world and the beauties of music. In this concert, the Poulenc Trio performs music by composers that inspired Ruskin and the American Pre-Raphaelites, Whitman’s favorite work by Beethoven, and Andrew List’s world premiere in celebration of Whitman’s (and Ruskin’s) 200th birth anniversaries.
Yumi Kurosawa, koto With special guests Anubrata Chatterjee, tabla, and Virgil Gadsen, dancer
May 19, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Celebrating The Life of Animals in Japanese Art
This performance brings together the elements of Japan’s spiritual philosophy and the importance of the animal world, as represented in literature, art, dance, and music. To illustrate the soundscape of our story, the koto’s melodic timbre recalls Japan’s history with chant, the tabla reminds us of the heartbeat, and the featured element of dance echoes the natural world of movement.
Living Art Collective Ensemble (LACE) Elisa Monte Dance DJ Twelve45
April 21, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Celebrating By the Light of the Silvery Moon: A Century of Lunar Photographs from the 1850s to Apollo 11
The Lunar Effect
Since prehistoric times, humans have been fascinated by the moon and its effect on everything from fertility to madness. On Easter Sunday, a holiday determined by the moon, LACE, along with Elisa Monte Dance and DJ Twelve45, weaves together a story of how the moon has inspired wonder and fear in various cultures since the human journey began. This program features new music by composer Michael Thurber.
top Poulenc Trio, photo by Matt Dine. right Yumi Kuro-sawa, photo by GION Studio.
22 FOURTH FRIDAY SOUND SKETCHES
WHERE ARE THE CONNECTIONS?New in the 2018 – 2019 season, the music department brings a monthly “musical tour,” as we ask musicians to engage with pieces from the Gallery’s collection. Drawing out links that have always existed between the arts, we’ll hear stories about the amazing interconnections between music and art. These programs are a surprise to us and will be spontaneous in their location, so keep an eye on our website for more information closer to the dates of the performances.
New York Opera Society
September 28, 2018 | 12:10
Trio Sefardi
October 26, 2018 | 12:10
PROJECT Trio
November 23, 2018 | 12:10
Eric Mintel Quartet
December 28, 2018 | 12:10
Noah Getz and Friends
January 25, 2019 | 12:10
Armonia Nova
February 22, 2019 | 12:10
Eya
March 22, 2019 | 12:10
Duo Sonidos
April 26, 2019 | 12:10
FOURTH FRIDAY SOUND SKETCHES
top Alisa Jordheim of the New York Opera Society, photo by Rebecca Fay Photography. bottom Eya, photo by Anthony Thompson. top left Duo Sonidos, photo by Cyrus Ndolo. top right Jacqueline Horner Kwiatek of Armonia Nova, photo by Mark Kwiatek. middle PROJECT Trio, photo by Vince Scaccetti. bottom left Noah Getz, photo by Roy Cox. bottom right Trio Sefardi, photo by Jeff Malet Photography.
24 MUSIC BETWEEN THE WARS
WHEN WILL THE FIGHTING END?On November 11, 1918, an armistice was signed between the Allies and Germany, ending World War I on the Western Front. On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, and two days later the United Kingdom and France once again declared war, setting off another six-year World War. This season, we begin a multiyear exploration of what was happening in the world of art and music that reflected the period between the two World Wars.
Tapestry
November 11, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Lessons of Darkness: Armistice Day 1918
Armistice Day, November 11, 1918, found people throughout the world singing and dancing in the streets, once again hoping for a peaceful world. This program commemorates the 100th anniversary of this landmark day in history and presents works of composers affected by the war, such as Ralph Vaughan Williams, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Claude Debussy, and Maurice Ravel. The concert also includes iconic works by Stephen Foster (the American Civil War) and Simon and Garfunkel (the Vietnam War). Tapestry offers this program in the hope that we learn from our collective history — our Lessons of Dark-ness — and work together to avoid war.
Daniel Schlosberg, piano Jessica Aszodi, soprano Russell Rolen, cello
December 23, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Sung / Unsung: Weill and Poulenc
In a rare performance, two composers known primarily for song, each with a populist streak, are juxtaposed in both vocal and instrumental repertoire. The featured works include excerpts from Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins and other individual songs, as well as his Cello Sonata and the Intermezzo for Piano, and Francis Poulenc’s Prier pour Paix, “Tel Jour, Telle Nuit,” and Les Soirées de Nazelles.
Noah Getz and Friends
March 3, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Absolute Art and Jazz between the Wars
The seemingly opposite ideals of absolute art and popular music found expression in the work of artists and composers in the aftermath of World War I. In particular, jazz and the saxophone were contemporary symbols of an antiestablishment sentiment that held the bourgeoisie accountable for global devastation. This program presents compositions that explore these musical trajectories from Europe’s fertile artistic landscape between the wars. Works include Anton Webern’s Quartet, op. 22, for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone, and piano, Bela Bartok’s Contrasts, and Erwin Schulhoff’s Hot-Sonate.
MUSIC BETWEEN THE WARS
LEARNING ABOUT MUSIC 25
WHY DOES IT MATTER?The centennial of Leonard Bernstein’s birth was August 25, 2018. A global celebration of his life began the year before and will continue through August 25, 2019. Bern-stein’s legacy goes far beyond his work as a preeminent twentieth-century conductor and composer. The National Gallery of Art has chosen to honor his contributions as a cultural ambassador and educator, paying homage to his famous Young People’s Concerts — a televised series that introduced a generation of viewers to the joys of classical music and several other genres. These fifty-three programs ran from 1958 through 1972. In keeping with the spirit of helping new audiences understand the relevance of classical music, we have chosen to put a modern twist on three of Bernstein’s programs to explain why these works still matter to today’s youth. The programs include A Toast to Vienna in ¾ Time (original air date December 25, 1967), The Latin American Spirit (March 8, 1963), and The Genius of Paul Hindemith (February 23, 1964).
This series is made possible by the generous support of the Billy Rose Foundation.
Suchertorte Chamber Ensemble Jeffrey Schindler, conductor
December 30, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
A Toast to Vienna in ¾ Time
The Suchertorte Chamber Ensemble, led by conductor Jeffrey Schindler, brings a new perspective on the Young People’s Concert, in which Bernstein explained the history of Vienna’s affinity for the waltz. This is not your traditional Viennese New Year concert!
Air Force Strings
January 13, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
The Latin American Spirit
With works by Carlos Fariñas, Astor Piazzolla, and William Grant Still, the Air Force Strings shed a new light on the influence of music from Central and South America within the context of what we call “classical music.”
Inscape Chamber Orchestra Richard Scerbo, director
January 27, 2019 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
The Genius of Paul Hindemith
Reminding us why classical modernism matters, Inscape Chamber Orchestra puts a modern twist on the Young People’s Concert in which Bernstein memorialized the unex-pected death of composer Paul Hindemith.
LEARNING ABOUT MUSIC
26 HOLIDAY CONCERTS
HOW DO WE CELEBRATE?The Gallery maintains a long-standing tradition of welcoming groups from the community to sing holiday carols in the decorated Rotunda.
CAROLING IN THE ROTUNDA1:30 and 2:30
U.S. Army Chorus
Saturday, December 8
Encore Chorale Jeanne Kelly, director
Sunday, December 9
Westminster Presbyterian Choir and Ringers Benjamin Hutchens, director
Saturday, December 15
Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School Choir Kelly Kingett, director
Sunday, December 16
HOLIDAY CONCERTS
Hot Club of San Francisco
December 16, 2018 | 3:30 West Building, West Garden Court
Hot Club Cool Yule
Fire up your holidays with Hot Club Cool Yule, a swinging, gypsy wagon trip to the North Pole, featuring many of your favorites and a few rarer, seasonal gems. Performed by the Hot Club of San Francisco in its inimita-ble style (reminiscent of Django Reinhardt and the Hot Club of France), this dazzling holiday offering has something for everyone. Make this season bright with the flames of gypsy jazz!
top National Gallery of Art, West Building Rotunda, photo by Charles Bauduy. top right Hot Club of San Francisco, photo by Lenny Gonzalez. middle left Westminster Presbyterian Choir, photo by Charles Winburn. middle right Encore Chorale, photo by Larry Kelly. bottom U.S. Army Chorus, photo by SSG Victoria Chamberlin.
NGA.GOV/MUSIC
cover Claude Flight, Street Singers (detail), 1925, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen. back cover Katharina Fritsch, Hahn / Cock, 2013, on long-term loan from Glenstone Museum, Potomac, Maryland. © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn.