All material found in the Press Releases section is provided by parties entirely independent of Musical America, which is not responsible for content.
Press Releases
Lorelei Ensemble Premieres Julia Wolfe’s 'Her Story' in Nashville, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, and DC in 20-21 Season
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katy Salomon | Morahan Arts and Media
katy@morahanartsandmedia.com | 863.660.2214
Lorelei Ensemble Premieres Julia Wolfe’s Her Story
Performances by the Nashville Symphony, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco
Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra & National Symphony Orchestra
A New Work Premiering Fall 2020 that Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Ratification of
the 19th Amendment and the First Vote for American Women on November 2, 1920
“impeccable musicality” – The Boston Globe
New York, NY (February 19, 2020) – Nationally acclaimed Boston-based vocal artists Lorelei Ensemble announces the 2020-2021 premiere performances of composer Julia Wolfe’s Her Story, a 40-minute piece for orchestra and women’s vocal ensemble, co-commissioned and co-presented by the Nashville Symphony led by Giancarlo Guerrero (Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 7:00pm; Friday, September 11, 2020 at 8:00pm; and Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 8:00pm), the San Francisco Symphony led by conductor Giancarlo Guerrero (Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 8:00pm and Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 8:00pm), the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Marin Alsop (Friday, February 26, 2021 at 8:00pm and Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 8:00pm), the National Symphony Orchestra led by Gianandrea Noseda (Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 7:00pm; Friday, March 5, 2021 at 8:00pm; and Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 8:00pm), and the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Dates To Be Announced in Spring 2020). The world premiere performances with the Nashville Symphony will be recorded for a forthcoming album release on Naxos.
Written for Lorelei Ensemble to commemorate the centennial of the 1920 ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, Her Story is the latest in a series of Wolfe's compositions highlighting monumental and turbulent moments in American history and culture. That the piece is having its world premiere in Nashville is no accident: Tennessee was the 36th and final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment, and the world premiere comes mere weeks after the centennial of the August 18, 1920 ratification vote. NPR describes Julia Wolfe as "our labor documentarian, tackling historic issues that resonate today... By marrying history and music, Wolfe forces us to look to our past to protect our future." The immersive, visual performances will be directed by Anne Kauffman with scenic and lighting design by Jeff Sugg, costumes by Marion Talan, and produced by Bang on a Can.
"Though we have yet to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, women have been battling for equality from the beginning of the nation,” writes Wolfe. “Her Story captures the passion and perseverance of women refusing subordination, demanding representation, and challenging the prejudice and power structures that have limited women’s voices. The dynamic vocal artists of Lorelei Ensemble team up with 5 major American orchestras to tell this important yet much neglected thread of American political history.”
The impetus of the piece stemmed from Lorelei Ensemble Artistic Director Beth Willer’s longstanding admiration of Wolfe’s work. She highlights the composition’s importance in this particular moment in our history, stating, “I have been absolutely captivated by the work of Julia Wolfe since conducting her Pulitzer-prize winning work, Anthracite Fields, in 2017. Her ability to uncover and curate the diverse voices surrounding both common and spectacular events in the history of our great nation makes her an ideal creator and collaborator for this project. I envision this piece as a celebration of the power and influence of American women in achieving equality and justice for all American citizens, slated for premiere upon the centenary of the first women’s vote (November 2, 1920). It is an incredible opportunity to work with Julia on a project that is sure to make a lasting impact, both artistically and culturally.”
Her Story was co-commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Nashville Symphony, the National Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony and with the generous support of Linda and Stuart Nelson.
Performance Details
Nashville Symphony
Lorelei Ensemble
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 7:00pm
Friday, September 11, 2020 at 8:00pm
Saturday, September 12, 2020 at 8:00pm
Schermerhorn Symphony Center | 1 Symphony Place | Nashville, TN
Tickets: Single tickets go on sale July 17, 2020 at 10am CT.
Ticket Link: https://www.nashvillesymphony.
Program:
Joan Tower – Sixth Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman
SiHyun Uhm – Ladybug in the Room
Florence Price – Piano Concerto
Karen Walwyn, piano
Julia Wolfe – Her Story [World Premiere, NSO Co-Commission]
San Francisco Symphony
Lorelei Ensemble
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 8:00pm
Saturday, November 14, 2020 at 8:00pm
Davies Symphony Hall | 201 Van Ness Ave. | San Francisco, CA
Tickets: Single tickets go on sale July 10, 2020 at 10am PT.
Ticket Link: https://www.sfsymphony.org/
Program:
Florence Price – Piano Concerto
Aaron Diehl, piano
Julia Wolfe – Her Story [West Coast Premiere, SFO Co-Commission]
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Lorelei Ensemble
Marin Alsop, conductor
Friday, February 26, 2021 at 8:00pm
Saturday, February 27, 2021 at 8:00pm
Symphony Center | 220 S Michigan Ave | Chicago, IL
Tickets: Single tickets go on sale August 12, 2020.
Ticket Link: https://order.cso.org/10730/
Program:
Jessie Montgomery – Starburst
Rachmaninov – Symphonic Dances
Julia Wolfe – Her Story [Midwest Premiere, CSO Co-Commission]
National Symphony Orchestra
Lorelei Ensemble
Gianandrea Noseda, conductor
Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 7:00pm
Friday, March 5, 2021 at 8:00pm
Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 8:00pm
Kennedy Center | 2700 F St. NW | Washington, D.C.
Tickets: Tickets on sale July 21, 2020 at 10am ET
Ticket Link: https://www.kennedy-center.
Program:
Julia Wolfe – Her Story [D.C. Premiere, NSO Co-Commission]
Rimsky-Korsakov – Scheherazade
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Dates To Be Announced in Spring 2020
About Lorelei Ensemble
Heralded for its “warm, lithe, and beautifully blended” sound (The New York Times), “impeccable musicality” (The Boston Globe), and unfailing display of the “elegance, power, grace and beauty of the human voice” (Boston Music Intelligencer), Boston’s Lorelei Ensemble is recognized nationally for its bold and inventive programs that champion the extraordinary flexibility and virtuosity of the human voice. Lorelei is an all-professional vocal ensemble, comprising nine women whose expertise ranges from early to contemporary repertoire, and whose independent careers as soloists and ensemble singers across the globe lend to the rich and diverse vocal palette that defines the ensemble’s thrilling delivery of “exact, smooth, and stylish” programming (The Boston Globe). Under the direction of founder and artistic director Beth Willer, Lorelei has established a remarkable and inspiring artistic vision, curating culturally-relevant and artistically audacious programs that stretch and challenge the expectations of artists and audiences alike.
Lorelei has commissioned and premiered more than fifty new works since its founding in 2007, including works by David Lang, George Benjamin, Kati Agócs, Lisa Bielawa, Kareem Roustom, Jessica Meyer, Sungji Hong, Reiko Yamada, Peter Gilbert, Scott Ordway, and John Supko. Driven by its mission to advance and elevate women’s vocal ensembles, and to enrich the repertoire through forward-thinking and co-creative collaboration, Lorelei is committed to bringing works to life that point toward a “new normal” for vocal artists, and women in music.
Based in Boston, Lorelei is a committed member of the local arts scene. Collaborators include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra, A Far Cry, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and Odyssey Opera. In addition to its work in and around Boston, Lorelei maintains a national touring schedule, delivering performances on numerous concert series, and at venues and institutions across the country. Appearances include performances at Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Art Museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music, Trinity Wall Street, Five Boroughs Music Festival, Ordway Center for Performing Arts, Rockport Chamber Music, Chamber Music Columbus, Duke Performances, Schubert Club of St. Paul, and the Louisville Chamber Music Series. Educational residencies are an important and integral part of Lorelei’s work at home and on the road, including work with young artists at Harvard University, Bucknell University, Yale University, Duke University, University of Iowa, Luther College, Vassar College, Macalester College, Pittsburg State University, Mount Holyoke College, Connecticut College, Hillsdale College, Keene State College, Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Connecticut Children’s Chorus, and Providence Children’s Chorus. Learn more at www.loreleiensemble.com.
About Julia Wolfe
Julia Wolfe draws inspiration from folk, classical, and rock genres, bringing a modern sensibility to each while simultaneously tearing down the walls between them.
The 2019 world premiere of Fire in my mouth, a large-scale work for orchestra and women's chorus, by the New York Philharmonic with The Crossing and the Young People's Chorus of New York City, received extensive acclaim — one reviewer called the work "a monumental achievement in high musical drama, among the most commandingly imaginative and emotively potent works of any kind that I've ever experienced." (The Nation) The premiere recording of Fire in my mouth is released on Decca Gold, and was recorded live during the world premiere. The work is the third in a series of compositions about the American worker: 2009’s Steel Hammer, which examines the folk-hero John Henry, and the 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning Anthracite Fields, a concert-length oratorio for chorus and instruments, which draws on oral histories, interviews, speeches, and more to honor the people who persevered and endured in the Pennsylvania Anthracite coal region. Mark Swed of the LA Times wrote Anthracite Fields "captures not only the sadness of hard lives lost...but also of the sweetness and passion of a way of daily life now also lost. The music compels without overstatement. This is a major, profound work."
Wolfe’s music is distinguished by an intense physicality and a relentless power that pushes performers to extremes and demands attention from the audience. She has written a major body of work for strings, from quartets to full orchestra. Her music has been heard at venues throughout the world and has been recorded on Cantaloupe Music, Teldec, Point/Universal, Sony Classical, and Argo/Decca.
In addition to receiving the Pulitzer Prize, Wolfe was a 2016 MacArthur Fellow, she received the 2015 Herb Alpert Award in Music, and was named Musical America's 2019 Composer of the Year. She is on faculty at the NYU Steinhardt School and is co-founder/co-artistic director of New York’s legendary music collective Bang on a Can. Her music is published by Red Poppy, Ltd. (ASCAP) and is distributed worldwide by Ricordi/Universal Music Classical. Learn more at www.juliawolfemusic.com.
*Photo of Lorelei Ensemble at the top of release by Allana Taranto, Ars Magna Studio; Photo of Julia Wolfe by Peter Serling.
# # #
WHO'S BLOGGING
Law and Disorder by GG Arts Law
Career Advice by Legendary Manager Edna Landau
An American in Paris by Frank Cadenhead
FEATURED JOBS
RENT A PHOTO
