Join the Seattle Chamber Orchestra for an unforgettable evening celebrating Italian avantgarde composer Luciano Berio and American mezzo Cathy Berberian, a trailblazing power couple who reshaped the sound world of the 20th century. The program also includes music of Monteverdi, Ghedini, Dallapiccola, and Cage.

Doors open 7 PM; pre-concert talk at 7:15; concert starts at 8 PM.

Seattle Chamber Orchestra’s mission is to gather world-class musicians, to curate and perform chamber and orchestral repertoire that uplifts, inspires, and celebrates live performances. Brought to life through thoughtful and at times risky, programming that educates as much as inspires, SCO seeks to evolve and reinvigorate classical music, which has suffered most of all during the pandemic, by providing paid opportunities for professional musicians to explore traditional and new music in a sort of continuum space-temporal and push the boundaries of programming beyond those of other orchestras. SCO reaffirms the value of live music by bringing adventurous repertoire to eager and open-minded audiences. 

Founded in 2021, the Seattle Chamber Orchestra is rooted in our cherished Pacific Northwest’s casual and open culture and brings together the region’s top instrumentalists to create an all-sensory experience of music where you are invited to be part of the experience rather than merely witnessing it. SCO seeks to bring music lovers tantalizing combinations of the traditional and contemporary repertoire, performed by world-class professional musicians. 

Vancouver-born award-winning pianist/composer Cat Toren leads Cat Toren’s HUMAN KIND, a dynamic Brooklyn-based quartet with Xavier Del Castillo (sax), Jake Leckie (bass), and Steven Crammer (drums). Described by UK Vibe as “vibrant, earthy and spiritual”, this project is influenced by the free-form, socially conscious jazz of the late ’60s, reimagined for the modern day. The group will perform music from their self-titled debut album as well as from Scintillating Beauty, their 2020 release on Panoramic Recordings that reached the NPR and New York Times Jazz Critics Polls, and was featured in The Best New Jazz on Bandcamp.

Gathering threads from the corners of her imagination to tell stories of creatures and places of folklore yet to be written, Every Shade of Green is the performance project of Carolyn b (Mt Fog). She uses her voice as instrument along with synthesizer, violin and whatever else inspires, looping sounds and improvising as the moment requires. Melodies that feel like memories mingle with elements that call from early music (particularly the works of Hildegard von Bingen), art pop, and ambient. “Domus de Janas (“House of the Fairies”) are underground tombs cut into rocky hillsides that resemble the homes of the living. Constructed 5000 years ago in modern-day Sardinia, these stone houses feature spiral pattern decorations, many chambers, and false doors. I recently came upon the knowledge that I’ve seen these so-called Fairy Houses in dreams of mine. This evening’s Every Shade of Green set will traverse these ancient and dream spaces, asking questions about the borders between the living and the dead, the interior and the exterior, and the coziness of imagining life as moss on a rock.”

Curated by Christopher Icasiano for Nonsequitur’s NonSeq series.

Presented by Earshot Jazz Festival. Doors open 7 PM.

A key figure on the Seattle scene — as bassist, composer, and educator — Kelsey Mines dazzles in an intimate concert with music from her new recording. In celebration of Mines’ album release of Everything Sacred, Nothing Serious (Origin Records), she will be joined by Elsa Nilsson (flute); Conner Eisenmenger (trombone), Rafael Chamone (guitar), John Hansen (piano), and Christopher Icasiano (drums). Mines draws on her varied in-depth studies in jazz, classical and experimental music showcasing her versatility as a player, composer, and vocalist in this collection of 8 rich, hard hitting songs. Mines is the recipient of various awards including the Holland Award which allowed her to study in the Netherlands at the Prince Claus Conservatoire before returning to Seattle to establish her career. As well as  performing regularly in Seattle and beyond, Mines also teaches, with her most current post at Cornish College of the Arts.

(photo: Tiffany Tomkinson)

Seattle Modern Orchestra presents Among the Trees: Sonic Ecology in the Anthropocene

Seattle Modern Orchestra flutist Sarah Pyle curates an evening of environmental music in which the audience and musicians collectively explore how we are shaped by and shape the natural world. Meadows (2025), a growable graphic score led by Flicker Duo (Sarah Pyle, flute & Janna Webbon, violin), encourages at-home ecosystem restoration, while Caroline Miller’s territories::refrains invites human participation in recreating ephemeral signals from the animal world. Miller’s world-premiere commission, Heat Islands (2025) explores our rapidly-changing environment due to urban tree canopy loss and the resulting man-made effects of urban heat islands. Hilda Paredes’ Chaczidzib for solo piccolo probes themes of displacement and colonialism as sung by the Mayan red-chested bird. To close, George Crumb’s Vox Balaenae hearkens back to a time of nature without humans and celebrates our region’s Orca Recovery Day. An event for dreamers and doers alike, we invite you to come, listen, and “stay awhile.”

PROGRAM:
SARAH PYLE: Meadows – World Premiere
CAROLINE LOUISE MILLER: SMO Commission – World Premiere
CAROLINE LOUISE MILLER: territories::refrains (2020)
HILDA PAREDES: Chaczidzib (1992)
GEORGE CRUMB: Vox Balanae (1971)

About SMO:

Founded in 2010, Seattle Modern Orchestra (SMO) is the only large ensemble in the Pacific Northwest solely dedicated to the music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Led by co-artistic directors Julia Tai and Bonnie Whiting, SMO commissions and premieres new works from an international lineup of composers, in addition to presenting important pieces from the contemporary repertoire that are rarely if ever heard by Seattle audiences. The ensemble “operates at that exciting cusp between old and new, between tradition and innovation” (Vanguard Seattle) curating new sounds and experiences for concert goers in the region.

SMO provides audiences with performances of the best in contemporary chamber and orchestral music, and develops podcasts, lectures, educational residencies, and other forms of community engagement in an accessible and inviting format all designed to expand the listener’s appreciation and awareness of the music of today.

(photo: Amy Vandergon)

Local percussionist Mitchell Beck presents a night of live-looped music. Using loop pedal technology and live audio processing software, Mitchell will be building up full pieces of music one layer at a time as a one-man-band. You will hear him using standard percussion instruments, found objects, software synthesizers, and vocal layers to craft unique sound worlds that travel through a variety of different styles and moods. There will be moments of high intensity that explore complex rhythms and phrasing, diving headfirst into the intricacies of percussion. In contrast, there will be moments of blurred ambient serenity, giving listeners a chance to become lost in the sound and guided into a meditative state of mind. There will even be moments that explore the world of avant garde singer-songwriter music, encouraging the audience to find relatability between themselves and the performer on a more personal level. Passionate about creating music that is experimental and boundary pushing, yet still accessible to a general audience, Mitchell strives to spark intrigue and a feeling of connection across people with all types of musical tastes through his music.

Mitchell Beck is a percussionist, composer, producer, and educator based in Seattle, WA. Having a passion for all things percussion, Mitchell performs and teaches in a wide variety of musical settings. He has performed across the country and internationally in orchestras, chamber ensembles, indie rock bands, jazz combos, and as a solo performer. He is a founding member of Seattle based percussion collective Splinter Percussion. Mitchell also presents clinics on various topics in music around the country. As a composer and producer, Mitchell is passionate about pushing the boundaries of music with the goal of creating music that is still accessible to a general audience. Mitchell has been commissioned by people around the country to write concert music as well as music for indie video games and has had his music performed internationally. During the 2021/2022 academic year, Mitchell held the position of Visiting Assistant Professor of Percussion and Music Technology at Boise State University. An active educator, Mitchell has since founded the Seattle Percussion Academy.

Eric Amrine will perform “Angles Are Singing”, a spontaneous composition stolen outright from the game of billiards and from decades of improvising, studying, and performing with Robert Fripp, David Torn, Wally Shoup, Dennis Rea, Amy Denio, Lori Goldston, Jeff Greinke, John Oswald, and other luminaries.

I Can’t Trace Time emerges from the mind of Lance Watkins, with accompaniment by Casey Jones. Performing pieces to celebrate the ambient soundscape and loop based album released Fable on Lithic Records. Watkins and Jones create a soundscape to envelope all of your senses.

Ecstatic Cosmic Union – Cosmic music for cosmic people.

Sacred Signs (aka Winter Parkin) performs a brand of folk-drone soundscapes inspired by dreams both pleasant and nightmarish, weaving a gothic symphonic dreamcatcher. She has shared the stage with acts such as Thor and Friends, Norman Westberg, Johnathan Bree, and Eva O.

Patricia Wolf is a Portland-based musician, field recordist, and sound designer. Her work sonically unites the natural and synthetic world, integrating ecological sources into her minimalist compositions. Using melody and repetition she lures listeners to a hypnotic inner space, conjuring vivid textures and atmospheres imbued with emotion. Wolf primarily works with electronics, field recordings, and acoustic instruments. Tonight she’ll be performing new material that is currently being composed using a variety of electronic instruments.

Tim Westcott (wndfrm) is a sound artist, musician and audio enthusiast currently based in Portland, Oregon. His recorded and performative work is often characterized by processed field recordings, tonal minimalism, abstract percussive elements, experimental process, a wide dynamic range and an inquisitive, patient ear. He will present an evolving landscape of sounds exploring the last several years of his work – a framework for (mostly) quiet contemplative listening.

Live visuals by Mollie Bryan/Mokedo.

Curated by Chloe Harris for Nonsequitur’s NonSeq series.

Student Showcase: BLUEs.WEAVE and the Victory Sound, with Jai Kobi Kaleo’Okalani – guitar, vocals, and effects; Coen Rios – saxophone; Ethan Horn – drums.

BLUEs.WEAVE creates interconnected webs of sound drawing from a pool of analog recordings, programmed MPC grooves, and their own recorded performances from acoustic and electronic sources. Combining the ritual of crate digging with layers of electronic manipulation, BLUEs.WEAVE morphs a sample chop into an instrument in its own right, blurring the line between composition and discovery. Together with the Victory Sound, BLUEs.WEAVE explores the potential of  these sonic webs through improvisation, poetry, and alchemy.

The music will begin promptly at 8 PM, so please arrive early.

An acoustic ensemble consisting of John Teske (contrabass), Hanna Broback (violin), Samuel Klapper (violin), Gust Burns ( piano), Aaron Micheal Butler (percussion ), Al Jones (slide guitar), Stephanie Wood (percussion), David Stanford (percussion), Justin Lazar (clarinet), Blake DeGraw (clarinet), Gregg Miller (clarinet ), Brianna Camarda (bassoon), Troy Shiefelbein (voice), and Noel Kennon (viola, clarinet, composition) will realize a new score by Noel Kennon, 13 harmonic weather formations for ensemble or (a chickadee navigates the weather on its way home from an irruption in its youth).

Opening the evening: Bryan Day is a sound artist, musical instrument inventor, and conceptual artist based in the SF Bay Area. Using scavenged electronics, repurposed mechanical components, and amplified materials, he re-imagines them into constructivist sound sculptures. Since the late-1990s he has built over a hundred sound object devices, from amplified measuring tape and hacked radio transceivers to electro-mechanical installations using magnets, hard drives, and pendulums. His recorded work ranges from noisy electroacoustic improvisation to drony minimalism and audio collage, which is showcased in his projects Euphotic, Collision Stories, and Seeded Plain. Day has performed, taught workshops, and built sound installations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Featuring UW Faculty and Special Guests: Lucía Pulido – vocals, Cuong Vu – trumpet, Stomu Takeishi – bass, Ted Poor – drums.

After years of working with Lucía Pulido and immersing himself in researching Colombian music, Stomu Takeishi stumbled upon the songs of Violeta Parra. He saw in Parra’s songs the rich depth and spirit that would provide a natural home for Lucía’s virtuosic musicality, brought to life through the unique chemistry and creative language that Stomu, Ted, and Cuong have cultivated over 25 years as a trio. Takeishi’s Violeta Project emerged as a perfect framework to showcase Lucía’s extraordinary artistry in a new and compelling way.