THREE CHOIRS, FULL ORCHESTRA, ONE VISION: RESONANCE NOVA
Over 100 musicians join forces for a concert of groundbreaking musical works as a catalyst for change
PORTLAND, OR – The newly-renamed Orchestra Nova Northwest and the award-winning Resonance Ensemble come together for the first time to present RESONANCE NOVA, a program featuring three groundbreaking works advocating for global change, by acclaimed composers Margaret Bonds, Caroline Shaw, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Conducted by Steven Byess, Katherine FitzGibbon, and Shohei Kobayashi, these performances will take place on Saturday, March 15th at Reynolds High School Auditorium and on Sunday, March 16th at the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts.
“With our relaunch this past July as Orchestra Nova Northwest, we are excited to enter a fresh chapter for our 41-year-old ensemble, a chapter focused on expanding the scope of orchestral music—both in terms of what it encompasses and who it’s for,” says Executive Director of ONN, Kevin Irving. “Resonance Ensemble, with their mission of fostering socially relevant and transformative artistic experiences, is the ideal partner for these meaningful concerts.”
The first half of the program features Caroline Shaw’s haunting work To the Hands, amplifying contemporary refugee crises, and Margaret Bonds’s Credo, setting a stirring text by W.E.B. Du Bois.
“The Bonds has only recently experienced a surge in performances, so it is an honor to be part of its growing legacy,” says Kobayashi, Associate Conductor for Resonance Ensemble. “The text by DuBois speaks to a lot of issues we still grapple with today—war, racial equality, and social status. It remains deeply relevant.”
Katherine FitzGibbon, Resonance Ensemble & Lewis and Clark Capella Nova
Stephen Byess, Orchestra Nova Northwest
Shohei Kobayashi, Resonance Ensemble and Reed College Collegium Musicum
On the second half of the program, choirs from Lewis & Clark College and Reed College will join Resonance Ensemble and Orchestra Nova Northwest for Ralph Vaughan Williams’s Dona nobis pacem (Latin for 'grant us peace')—a powerful work for chorus, orchestra, and soloists. Written as a plea for peace amid the aftermath of past wars and the looming threat of new ones, the combined forces of over 100 musicians will create an unforgettable and moving musical experience.
“These concerts encapsulate the missions of both Resonance Ensemble and Orchestra Nova Northwest, and combines our forces into a performance that will envelop you in sound,” says Resonance Ensemble’s Artistic Director Katherine FitzGibbon. “In programming these three extraordinary musical works —both in their time and with renewed meaning today—we hope this concert will leave listeners inspired and full of hope.”
Single tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit novanw.org and resonancechoral.org.
Read more about the event here
WHEN & WHERE
Saturday, March 15th | 7:30 pm | Reynolds High School (Troutdale)
Sunday, March 16th | 2:00 pm | Patricia Reser Center for the Arts (Beaverton)
COST
Single tickets on sale through Orchestra Nova Northwest and the Reser. Tickets start at $35 with discounted tickets for students and Arts for All.
Note to Journalists: Katherine FitzGibbon, Shohei Kobayashi, Kevin Irving, Steven Byess, and featured guests are available for print, online, and broadcast interviews. If you would like more information on our season or would like to schedule an interview, please contact Liz Bacon Brownson at liz@ohcreativepdx.com or by calling 971-212-8034.
