Spektral Quartet
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Open Rehearsal [virtual]
Wednesday, January 26 at 7 pm
Note: This open rehearsal has been moved to online format
RSVP via Zoom here.
Join the Spektral Quartet, Mary Bonhag, Evan Premo, and composer Eliza Brown for an intimate look at the rehearsal process and how they prepare a new work for its World Premiere.
Wednesday, January 26 at 7 pm
Note: This open rehearsal has been moved to online format
RSVP via Zoom here.
Join the Spektral Quartet, Mary Bonhag, Evan Premo, and composer Eliza Brown for an intimate look at the rehearsal process and how they prepare a new work for its World Premiere.
Concerts [virtual]
Note: Having assessed the current health situation, we have decided, for the safety of our community, to hold this program virtually only. Thank you for your understanding, and we hope you will join us online.
Saturday, January 29 at 7:30 pm
This concert will be live-streamed from the Bethany Church in Montpelier with a post-performance Q&A with the artists and audience. The livestream will be available for viewing through February 5, 2022.
Note: Having assessed the current health situation, we have decided, for the safety of our community, to hold this program virtually only. Thank you for your understanding, and we hope you will join us online.
Saturday, January 29 at 7:30 pm
This concert will be live-streamed from the Bethany Church in Montpelier with a post-performance Q&A with the artists and audience. The livestream will be available for viewing through February 5, 2022.
| Spektral Quartet Program |
About the Program
Scrag welcomes back to Vermont the award-winning Spektral Quartet for the World Premiere of a very special Spektral/Scrag co-commission The light that blurred the stars by composer Eliza Brown, a work for string quartet and soprano that explores the cycle of life and makes use of poetry by American poet Susan Stewart. Also on the program George Walker's Lyric for Strings and works by Franz Schubert.
Scrag welcomes back to Vermont the award-winning Spektral Quartet for the World Premiere of a very special Spektral/Scrag co-commission The light that blurred the stars by composer Eliza Brown, a work for string quartet and soprano that explores the cycle of life and makes use of poetry by American poet Susan Stewart. Also on the program George Walker's Lyric for Strings and works by Franz Schubert.
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Artists
Spektral Quartet Clara Lyon, violin Maeve Feinberg, violin Doyle Armbrust, viola Russell Rolen, cello Mary Bonhag, soprano Evan Premo, double bass |
Program
Eliza Brown The light that blurred the stars [World Premiere] George Walker Lyric for Strings Franz Schubert String Quartet No. 13 in A minor D 804, Op. 29 ““Rosamunde Quartet” Schubert "Nacht und Träume" arr. by Alex Fortes for soprano and strings |
Artists
Spektral Quartet
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Mary Bonhag, soprano
Bios
Multi-Grammy nominees, the Spektral Quartet actively pursues a vivid conversation between exhilarating works of the traditional repertoire and those written this decade, this year, or this week. Since its inception in 2010, Spektral is known for creating seamless connections across centuries, drawing in the listener with charismatic deliveries, interactive concert formats, an up-close atmosphere, and bold, inquisitive programming. With a tour schedule including some of the country’s most notable concert venues such as the Kennedy Center, Miller Theater, Library of Congress, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, the quartet also takes great pride in its home city of Chicago: championing the work of local composers, bridging social and aesthetic partitions, and cultivating its ongoing collaborations and residencies in the Chicago region. For the 20/21 Season, Spektral is pleased to announce it’s Digital Artist Residency at University Musical Society (UMS) with Lebanese-born Afro-Tarab/jazz innovator Tarek Yamani. Named “Chicagoans of the Year” by the Chicago Tribune in 2017, Spektral Quartet is most highly regarded for its creative and stylistic versatility: presenting seasons in which, for instance, a thematic program circling Beethoven seamlessly coexists with an improvised sonic meditation at sunrise, a talent show featuring Spektral fans, and the co-release of a jazz album traversing the folk traditions of Puerto Rico.
Eliza Brown's music is motivated by sound and its potential for meaning, an engagement with the broader arts and humanities, and fundamental questions about the nature of human existence, social relationships and responsibilities, and sensory experience. Eliza’s compositions have been performed by leading interpreters of new music, including Ensemble Dal Niente, Spektral Quartet, ensemble recherche, International Contemporary Ensemble, Network for New Music, Ensemble SurPlus, Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, and Wild Rumpus New Music Collective. Her works have been heard on stages throughout the USA and in Mexico, Colombia, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Canada, and the UAE, and have been recorded on multiple labels. Eliza’s work is frequently intertextual, opening dialogues with existing pieces of music, historical styles, and other cultural artifacts. Her work is also frequently interdisciplinary, with a particular focus on music-theater and opera. Recent projects include The Body of the State (2017), a music-theater work about the life of Juana of Castile written in collaboration with six women who were at the time of writing incarcerated at Indiana Women's Prison. Commissioned and premiered by Ensemble Dal Niente, this work incorporates the instrumentalists into its staging as a representation of the oppressive, hierarchical family and society that shaped Juana's life. Prospect and Refuge (2015), for four female voices, explores how public spaces shape social experience and was created in collaboration with architect Hannah Marzynski, Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, and stage director Emmi Hilger. The piece is designed to be re-staged at each new performance site, with reference to the social history of that particular space. Eliza’s artistic interests give rise to questions about the interpretation and meaning of music that drive her scholarship. Her dissertation, A Narratological Analysis of ‘Pnima…ins innere’ by Chaya Czernowin, used methods drawn from the interdisciplinary field of narratology (the study of narrative) to examine how Czernowin’s opera tells its story by means of music alone, as the singers in Pnima sing phonemes and vocal sounds rather than words. Eliza is a dedicated teacher who enjoys helping students strengthen their creative voices and engage complex ideas with rigor and enthusiasm. She is currently Assistant Professor of Music at DePauw University, where she teaches composition and music theory. Eliza has also had a long-time affiliation with the Walden School Young Musicians Program, where she spent many summers as a faculty member and Academic Dean. Eliza holds a B.Mus. summa cum laude in composition from the University of Michigan and a D.M.A. in composition from Northwestern University.
Double Bassist / Composer Evan Premo creates heart-centered music that inspires audiences and musicians alike. His music has been commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Chamber Orchestra, River Town Duo, Owen Dalby, the International Society of Bassists, Diana Gannett, Paul Dwyer, The Pine Mountain Music Festival, Capitol City Concerts, and the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra. Evan is a member of Decoda with which he has performed in residencies around the world including four he led in Abu Dhabi, UAE. As a member of Ensemble Connect, Evan has performed in concerts at Carnegie Hall and participated in residencies in Spain and Germany. As a chamber musician, he has performed at summer music festivals throughout the country and has been featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today. Evan has participated in and collaborated with New Music on the Point summer festival in Leicester, Vermont. Evan resides in Vermont where he is active teaching and performing and is Founder co-Artistic Director of Scrag Mountain Music with his wife, soprano Mary Bonhag. He is also Founder and Artistic Director of Beethoven and Banjos, a residency that brings together folk and classical musicians for cross-genre concerts in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The “extraordinary” (Classical Voice N. America) soprano Mary Bonhag captivates audiences around the country with her “marvelous versatility” and “supple, expressive” voice (San Antonio News). As a new music specialist, Mary was featured on Resonant Bodies Festival and has sung with 21st Century Consort and San Francisco Contemporary Players. She has premiered or commissioned works by Lembit Beecher, Susan Botti, Evan Premo, Shawn Jaeger, Eliza Brown, Evan Chambers, and C. Curtis Smith. In demand from Carnegie Hall to rustic barns, Mary connects with audiences, drawing them deeply into the music. She frequently performs with Aizuri Quartet, Aeolus Quartet, Decoda, Spektral Quartet and has been featured across the country at chamber music festivals including Cactus Pear (TX), Five Boroughs Festival, Stanford Live, and Yellow Barn. She is co-Artistic Director of Scrag Mountain Music with her husband, composer/double bassist Evan Premo. Mary has presented thought provoking art song recitals at Dartmouth, Smith, Goucher Colleges, and the University of Vermont. She attended SongFest and Tanglewood, where she received the Grace B. Jackson Prize. Mary has been featured on the NPR show Performance Today and appears on Albany Records. marybonhagsoprano.com
Eliza Brown's music is motivated by sound and its potential for meaning, an engagement with the broader arts and humanities, and fundamental questions about the nature of human existence, social relationships and responsibilities, and sensory experience. Eliza’s compositions have been performed by leading interpreters of new music, including Ensemble Dal Niente, Spektral Quartet, ensemble recherche, International Contemporary Ensemble, Network for New Music, Ensemble SurPlus, Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, and Wild Rumpus New Music Collective. Her works have been heard on stages throughout the USA and in Mexico, Colombia, Germany, Hungary, Spain, Canada, and the UAE, and have been recorded on multiple labels. Eliza’s work is frequently intertextual, opening dialogues with existing pieces of music, historical styles, and other cultural artifacts. Her work is also frequently interdisciplinary, with a particular focus on music-theater and opera. Recent projects include The Body of the State (2017), a music-theater work about the life of Juana of Castile written in collaboration with six women who were at the time of writing incarcerated at Indiana Women's Prison. Commissioned and premiered by Ensemble Dal Niente, this work incorporates the instrumentalists into its staging as a representation of the oppressive, hierarchical family and society that shaped Juana's life. Prospect and Refuge (2015), for four female voices, explores how public spaces shape social experience and was created in collaboration with architect Hannah Marzynski, Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, and stage director Emmi Hilger. The piece is designed to be re-staged at each new performance site, with reference to the social history of that particular space. Eliza’s artistic interests give rise to questions about the interpretation and meaning of music that drive her scholarship. Her dissertation, A Narratological Analysis of ‘Pnima…ins innere’ by Chaya Czernowin, used methods drawn from the interdisciplinary field of narratology (the study of narrative) to examine how Czernowin’s opera tells its story by means of music alone, as the singers in Pnima sing phonemes and vocal sounds rather than words. Eliza is a dedicated teacher who enjoys helping students strengthen their creative voices and engage complex ideas with rigor and enthusiasm. She is currently Assistant Professor of Music at DePauw University, where she teaches composition and music theory. Eliza has also had a long-time affiliation with the Walden School Young Musicians Program, where she spent many summers as a faculty member and Academic Dean. Eliza holds a B.Mus. summa cum laude in composition from the University of Michigan and a D.M.A. in composition from Northwestern University.
Double Bassist / Composer Evan Premo creates heart-centered music that inspires audiences and musicians alike. His music has been commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony Chamber Orchestra, River Town Duo, Owen Dalby, the International Society of Bassists, Diana Gannett, Paul Dwyer, The Pine Mountain Music Festival, Capitol City Concerts, and the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra. Evan is a member of Decoda with which he has performed in residencies around the world including four he led in Abu Dhabi, UAE. As a member of Ensemble Connect, Evan has performed in concerts at Carnegie Hall and participated in residencies in Spain and Germany. As a chamber musician, he has performed at summer music festivals throughout the country and has been featured on National Public Radio’s Performance Today. Evan has participated in and collaborated with New Music on the Point summer festival in Leicester, Vermont. Evan resides in Vermont where he is active teaching and performing and is Founder co-Artistic Director of Scrag Mountain Music with his wife, soprano Mary Bonhag. He is also Founder and Artistic Director of Beethoven and Banjos, a residency that brings together folk and classical musicians for cross-genre concerts in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The “extraordinary” (Classical Voice N. America) soprano Mary Bonhag captivates audiences around the country with her “marvelous versatility” and “supple, expressive” voice (San Antonio News). As a new music specialist, Mary was featured on Resonant Bodies Festival and has sung with 21st Century Consort and San Francisco Contemporary Players. She has premiered or commissioned works by Lembit Beecher, Susan Botti, Evan Premo, Shawn Jaeger, Eliza Brown, Evan Chambers, and C. Curtis Smith. In demand from Carnegie Hall to rustic barns, Mary connects with audiences, drawing them deeply into the music. She frequently performs with Aizuri Quartet, Aeolus Quartet, Decoda, Spektral Quartet and has been featured across the country at chamber music festivals including Cactus Pear (TX), Five Boroughs Festival, Stanford Live, and Yellow Barn. She is co-Artistic Director of Scrag Mountain Music with her husband, composer/double bassist Evan Premo. Mary has presented thought provoking art song recitals at Dartmouth, Smith, Goucher Colleges, and the University of Vermont. She attended SongFest and Tanglewood, where she received the Grace B. Jackson Prize. Mary has been featured on the NPR show Performance Today and appears on Albany Records. marybonhagsoprano.com
This residency is generously supported by the Cummins-Levenstein Charitable Foundation.
Photos: Evan Premo (c) Ember Photo; Mary Bonhag (c) Ariel Doneson