Illustration by Jessica Dunham
When Summermusik kicks off on August 4, it will mark its 12th year as the region’s premiere chamber orchestra festival, featuring a month of thrilling performances from the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. This year’s festival draws from a variety of inspirations, from the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence to musical appreciation for pet companions to a rowdy commemoration of rebellious visionaries (Frank Zappa’s work gets paired with compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), and more.
The first big weekend event is The Soundtrack of America on August 8, which celebrates the anniversary of U.S. independence by spotlighting the country’s legacy of collaboration and innovation. The first Mainstage performance takes place at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, featuring three world premiere pieces commissioned by Summermusik, giving the audience an exclusive first listen to an array of orchestral work.
“In looking at America250, we wanted to celebrate it in a different way from what many others are doing,” says Summermusik Executive Director Evan Gidley. “There’s a lot of patriotic pop-type programs being presented. We really wanted to look at America250 through the eyes of the many different cultural identities that make up the country. That’s the through line of the entire program.”
To realize this goal, festival organizers pulled together a trio of new pieces (and a couple of established compositions) that convey the expansive experiences contained within the idea of “America.” A collaborative work between five composers, “Visions of Humanity and Unity” embodies this vision of diversity in collaboration. “The ‘Visions of Humanity and Unity’ project was something that Eckart Preu, our music director, brought forth, and we ultimately decided to be the lead commissioning organization on this project,” says Gidley. “There are five different composers that we’ve engaged. They’re each writing a five- to seven-minute movement for cello soloist Zuill Bailey, and the goal is for them to reflect on their own cultural background and the significance of America250 within that context.”
Those five composers span a wide range of perspective and experience, with each bringing musical elements of their own cultures into the work. Avner Dorman is Israeli-American, while Chanda Dancy provides an African American lens. Mark O’Connor represents the Appalachian/Americana voice. Enrico Chapela brings a Mexican American angle, while Zhou Tian is a Chinese American composer. “They’re all writing independently—they don’t know what the other ones are writing,” says Gidley. “The prompt was basically, look at the Declaration of Independence. Is there a line of text that maybe resonates with you? How do you envision this historical document and the impact it’s had on your particular culture?”
Another premiere will be of local composer Kanniks Kannikeswaran’s “The Indian American Experience.” “He is very well respected as a writer of Asian-Indian classical music,” says Gedley. The composition opens and closes with spoken narration.
The final premiere is the winner of the second-annual Kreitler Commission Competition, “Ocean of Quiet” by Simon Rivet, a Montreal-based composer. Though not explicitly tied to the America250 theme, Gidley maintains the piece fits well within an evening featuring numerous performance debuts. “ ‘Ocean of Quiet’ is going to be meditation related,” he explains. “There’s going to be a guided meditation with the audience prior to the piece being performed.”
The Soundtrack of America event will open with a performance by Native American flutist and composer Darren Thompson, and the evening will end on a familiar note, closing with Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Spring.”
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