92 American Express Woolfe Street Series MUSIC IN TIME John Kennedy, Director and Host Woolfe Street May 28, May 30, and June 4 Playhouse An Elemental Thing May 28, 5:00pm An Elemental Thing (2017) Liza Lim (b 1966) Rainice Lai, woodblock unbreakable line. hinged waist. (2002) Jennifer Walshe (b 1974) Members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Strange Matter (2011) Zosha diCastri (b 1985) Members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Jeffrey Means, conductor Illumine (2016, US premiere) Anna Thorvaldsdottir (b 1977) Members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Jeffrey Means, conductor Water and Memory (2017, US premiere) Annea Lockwood (b 1939) Members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Brilliant Nights May 30, 9:00pm Tre Notturni Brillianti (“Three Brilliant Nights,” 1975) Salvatore Sciarrino (b 1947) I. Di volo (“Flight”) II. Scorrevole e animato (“Sliding and animated”) III. Prestissimo precipitamo (“Very fast rushing”) Alfonso Noriega, viola Este branco silêncio (“This White Silence,” 2010) Andreia Pinto Correia (b 1971) Members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Jeffrey Means, conductor The Heart’s Ear (1997) Liza Lim (b 1966) Members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Jeffrey Means, conductor Air (2005) Jörg Widmann (b 1973) Ryan Little, horn Akrostichon-Wortspiel (“Acrostic Wordplay,” 1991 – 93) Unsuk Chin (b 1961) I. Hide and Seek II. The Puzzle of the Three Magic Gates III. The Rules of the Game – sdrawkcab emiT IV. Four Seasons in Five Verses V. Domifare S VI. The Game of Chance VII. From the Old Time Marisol Montalvo, soprano Members of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra Jeffrey Means,conductor Sponsored by American Express. These performances are made possible in part through funds from the Spoleto Festival USA Endowment, generously supported by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America. Music in Time 93 Departure Duo June 4, 5:00pm All Are Welcome Here (2017, World Premiere) David Smooke (b 1969) Plain Truths from Timothy Dexter (2011) + John Liberatore (b 1984) I. If you can bare the trouth II. we come into the world III. Day and Night IV. Regoising V. Let the Devil goue into Darknes VI. just fineishing his sermon VII. to be A king VIII. the shaking quickers IX. good-bye Deus ex Machina (2016) + Talia Amar (b 1989) Declining (2018, World Premiere) John Kennedy (b 1959) Lotófagos (2006) + Beat Furrer (b 1954) yes I said yes I will Yes (2012) Amy Beth Kirsten (b 1972) Phrase (2017) + Katherine Balch (b 1991) I. le haut étang fume II. quand le mond III. j’ai tendu des cordes IV. il sonne une cloche Departure Duo: Nina Guo, soprano; Edward Kass, double bass + Please find song texts in an appendix beginning on page 127. About the Artists JOHN KENNEDY (director and host), is the composer of more than 90 works, including opera, Spoleto Festival USA Resident Conductor orchestral, chamber, and experimental works that have been and Director of Orchestral Activities, performed throughout the world. His operas Trinity and The has led acclaimed performances and Language of Birds are both receiving new productions this year premieres worldwide of opera, orchestral, by Santa Fe Opera as their spring and fall presentations. ballet, and new music. Kennedy has had a long association with Spoleto DEPARTURE DUO is a Boston-based Festival USA, and in recent seasons soprano/double bass duo comprised of has conducted the Festival’s American Nina Guo and Edward Kass. Committed premiere productions of operas including Émilie by Kaija to expanding the repertoire for this Saariaho (2011), Kepler by Philip Glass (2012), Matsukaze by “high-low” combination, Departure Duo Toshio Hosokawa (2013), Facing Goya by Michael Nyman commissions new works and breathes (2014), the world premiere production of Huang Ruo’s Paradise life into existing pieces. The duo’s long- Interrupted (2015), The Little Match Girl by Helmut term goal, “30x’30,” is to have 30 hours Lachenmann (2016), and Quartett by Luca Francesconi (2017). of soprano/double bass repertoire Especially noted for his interpretations of contemporary music, written by 2030. Named semi-finalists in the 2016 Concert Kennedy has worked with many of the leading composers of Artist Guild Competition, Departure Duo has performed in our time in over 300 premieres and numerous recordings. He Boston, Los Angeles, Montreal, New York, San Francisco, and has designed and led many orchestral concerts integrating more. Highlights include performances at Omaha Under the classic works with the new, and recently led a multimedia Radar (2017), Columbia University (2017), and a residency at production of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella directed by Seon Yim in University of Georgia (2018). In the 2018 – 19 season, Departure South Korea. Kennedy has recently guest conducted at West Duo will complete an artist residency with Yellow Barn in Edge Opera, Daejeon Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra 21, Putney, Vermont. Guo and Kass hold degrees from New Singapore International Festival of the Arts, the Crested Butte England Conservatory, where each was awarded the John Cage Music Festival, and with many organizations including the Award for Outstanding Contributions to Contemporary Music Lincoln Center Festival, Other Minds Festival, sfSound, Talea Performance. Ensemble, Santa Fe Opera, and New York City Ballet. Kennedy 94 American Express Woolfe Street Series RAINICE LAI (percussion) is a Means has led include the Talea Ensemble, Da Capo Chamber percussionist who is active in both Players, Mimesis Ensemble, Dinosaur Annex, the East Coast contemporary and orchestral arenas. Contemporary Ensemble, and many others. Means was one of She has performed across the United two conductors selected to study with Pierre Boulez in 2009 States and Asia, with such professional at the Lucerne Festival Academy. He is currently professor of ensembles as Hong Kong Philharmonic conducting at Berklee College of Music. His recordings can be Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, heard on Albany, Mode, Naxos, and Tzadik records. Macau Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, and MARISOL MONTALVO (soprano) has Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. As a chamber musician, she has performed this season with the Royal appeared with renowned percussionists including Emmanuel Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra Séjourné, Frederic Macarez, Nancy Zeltsman, and Christopher and Orquestra Nacionales de Espana, Deviney, and has performed contemporary works with the under the baton of Maestro Christoph Callithumpian Consort and Summer Institute of Contemporary Eschenbach. Recently, she sang Barber’s Performance Practice under music director Stephen Drury in Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and Mozart’s 2016. She had worked personally with Russian composer Sofia “L’amero saro costante” with Ray Chen Gubaidulina and performed her chamber music at the Boston (Ravinia Festival/Chicago Symphony Symphony Orchestra Prelude Concert series in 2017. She Orchestra); Widmann’s opera Babylon and Scriabin’s studies with Dan Bauch and Tim Genis from Boston Symphony Mysterium (Radio Filharmonisch Orkest); Boulez’s Pli selon Orchestra. This season is Lai’s third summer in the Spoleto pli (Wien Modern, Ensemble Intercontemporain); Haas’s Festival USA Orchestra; in the past two seasons, she performed Wie stille brannte das Licht (Klangforum Wien); Pintscher’s in Helmut Lachenmann’s The Little Match Girl and Luca Hérodiade-Fragmente (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra); Francesconi’s Quartett. Mahler’s Symphony no. 4 (London Philharmonic Orchestra); and Mahler’s Symphony no. 8 (Orchestre De Paris). She is RYAN LITTLE (horn) was appointed as renowned for her interpretation of Berg’s Lulu, which she has principal horn of the Naples Philharmonic sung with Opéra national de Paris, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Teatro in April 2017, and also serves as assistant de la Maestranza, Opéra de Toulouse, Komische Oper Berlin, principal/utility horn of the Britt Music & Theater Basel, and Theater an der Wien. Some of her future Arts Festival. Little received his bachelor- engagements include Henze’s The Bassarids with Kent Nagano; of-music degree from Northwestern and Mahler’s Symphony no. 2 (Royal Stockholm Philharmonic). University, where he studied with Gail Williams, and received his master’s ALFONSO NORIEGA (viola) is the degree from Rice University, where he violist in the Ulysses, Lucerne Festival, studied with William VerMeulen. As a concert soloist, Little has and Britten Pears ensembles. A former performed as finalist or won prizes at the Aeolus International viola fellow at Ensemble Modern and the Competition (Düsseldorf), International Horn Competition Banff Centre, he also plays with Ensemble of America (Louisville), International Horn Society Intercontemporain, Remix, Divertimento, Premier Soloist Competition (London), and Northwestern MAM, HKNME, and the orchestras of University Concerto Competition. Little has participated as Radio France, City of Birmingham, Hong a fellow in the Castleton Festival, Lucerne Festival Academy, Kong, and Malaysia. He has worked National Orchestral Institute and Festival, l’Orchestre de with Boulez, Holliger, Rihm, Lachenmann, Furrer, Knussen, la Francophonie, Spoleto Festival USA, Tanglewood Music and Hosokawa, and with conductors Colin Davies, Rattle, Center, and YOA Orchestra of the Americas. Little performs on Nelsons, Robertson, Dudamel, and Maazel. Noriega holds an instrument made in 2012 by Karl Hill of Rockford, Michigan. master degrees from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Hochschule in Frankfurt,