Against the Grain
June 2, 2023, 7:30 pm
Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
Update 5/19: Portland’5 has cancelled MYS’ May 19 concert due to HVAC failure at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The concert has been rescheduled to Friday June 2 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The temporary cooling system was successfully installed! Ticketholders & performers will be notificed of the confirmed location via email. We look forward to seeing you June 2 at the Schnitzer!
The season finale will showcase Faust Overture by Emilie Mayer, an underappreciated contemporary of Richard Wagner and Franz Liszt. Emilie challenged the expectations of female composers during her time, veering away from salon music in favor of grand form. Despite her eight symphonies and numerous overtures, the Faust Overture was the only work printed during her lifetime.
Wrapping up the 2022-23 season, MYS will play Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story: Symphonic Dances, telling the iconic story of forbidden love and power struggles on the streets of upper west side New York in the 1960s. The narrative will unfold across nine interconnected pieces of music, including Prologue, ‘Somewhere,’ Scherzo, Mambo, Cha-Cha, Meeting Scene, ‘Cool’ Fugue, Rumble, and Finale.
Student composer Elaina Stuppler will finish off this season’s lineup for the Authentic Voice Project with her piece addressing gun violence. This project provides aspiring composers with an opportunity to write and hear their work performed by MYS students, cultivating musical creativity in the next generation of musicians.
This show will spotlight two of the winners of MYS’ annual Concerto Competition. Co-winners of the Winds/Brass/Percussion/Piano category Amir Avsker and Cyrus Ngan will perform Mozart Piano Concerto K. 466, Mov 3 and Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3, Mov 3, respectively. Held each January, with its winners showcased during the March and May shows alongside the Symphony Orchestra, this competition tests mastery of challenging and mature solo repertoire for strings, winds, brass, and percussion.
Joining Symphony Orchestra, Interlude Orchestra will perform Larry Clark’s Engines of Resistance, Soon Hee Newbold’s Warrior Legacy, and Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Arr. Douglas E. Wagner).
Tickets are available on the Portland’5 website or in person at the Schnitzer Box Office which opens at 5:30 PM tonight. .