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The California Symphony Performs the World Premiere of Katherine Balch's Illuminate on March 26 at the Lesher Center for the Performing Arts

Mar. 10, 2022

The California Symphony, under the baton of Donato Cabrera, perform the world premiere performances of Katherine Balch's Illuminate for two sopranos, mezzo-soprano, and orchestra on March 26-27 at The Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek, CA. The work, which sets texts by Arthur Rimbaud, Adrienne Rich, Anne Carson, Alejandra Pizarnik, and Sharon Olds, is part of a program titled "French Impressions" that features music with French connections, both old and new. Sopranos Molly Netter and Alexandra Smither and mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra are the featured soloists.

Katherine Balch's overview sketch of the Illuninate score

Over the course of five movements, Illuminate explores its themes via a framework of the cycle of the seasons, beginning and ending with the spring. According to Katherine Balch the libretto "depicts many shades of femininity, or at least, resonates with my own associations and experiences of this term/idea. I hope the piece will be heard as a joyful outpouring, because that’s what I feel when I think about these texts, the women they represent to me, and the women who will be singing them."

Read an elightening article about the work and the composer's process in creating it in San Francisco Classical Voicehere.

Listen to Katherine Balch's these intervals matter (2020). The work is available for purchase from Project Schott NY (PSNY):


(these intervals matter/Katherine Balch/Nola Richardson, soprano)

To learn more about Katherine Balch, visit: schott-music.com.

Katherine Balch
Illuminate (2020)
for three vocal soloists (S,S,Mz) and orchestra
Texts by Arthur Rimbaud, Adrienne Rich, Anne Carson, Alejandra Pizarnik, and Sharon Olds
2.2.2.2-2.2.2.0-timp.2perc (I. glsp, crot [with water bowl], bamboo wind chime, 2 tri[lg, sm], 2 clav, 2 wdbl [sm, piccolo], 2 glass bottles, course ceramic plate/tile, egg shaker, 2 rocks, slapstick, brake drum, s.d, med. sus cym, b.d; II. vib, tub bells, 4 Thai gongs, 2 flower pots, bongos, course ceramic plate/tile, egg shaker, 2 rocks, 2 sus cym [lg, sm], tam-t)-hp-str Vocal soloists: 2 sopranos, mezzo-soprano
35'

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