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Phoenix Symphony Launches Year-Long Residency of Composer Mark Grey
Composer will lead special events and concerts planned across the Valley celebrating the cultural heritage of the Navajo
(PHOENIX) – In July 2006, The Phoenix Symphony approached acclaimed composer Mark Grey about writing a composition to commemorate the orchestra's 60th Anniversary Season. In celebration of the momentous anniversary, The Phoenix Symphony will present the world premiere of Grey's work, Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio in February 2008. Music Director Michael Christie notes that “this is an exhilarating moment for The Phoenix Symphony to be working with composer Mark Grey who has such an impressive background in cross-cultural collaborative projects.” As Music Alive Composer-in-Residence for the 2007-08 season, Grey will lead several activities exploring the Navajo traditions that originally inspired the creation of Enemy Slayer. The Phoenix Symphony joins forces with the renowned Heard Museum presenting a number of special activities across the Valley beginning this September. Participants will explore Native American tribal and musical traditions through a year-long series of events including discussions with tribal leaders and noted authorities, films, performances, masterclasses, workshops for elementary students, exhibits, and much more. Music Alive Composer-in-Residence, Mark Grey will lead several free activities devoted to the exploration of Navajo culture as well as the evolutionary process of creating a work for orchestra and chorus. Over several months, Grey will participate in many events, lectures, and concerts that will introduce Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio giving audiences a framework for understanding the new work before its world premiere in February. “This project is a fusion of Western concert music and Native American traditions providing the public with an enlightened understanding of the culture that has existed for centuries in the Southwest,” says Grey. “It is such a privilege to collaborate with such great artists, scholars, and leaders as we are so fortunate to live in an area so rich in culture.” The Residency of Mark Grey is made possible through Music Alive, a residency program of the American Symphony Orchestra League and Meet the Composer. This national program is designed to provide orchestras with resources and tools to support their presentation of new music to the public and build support for new music within their institutions. Funding for Music Alive is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The Aaron Copland Fund for Music.
NAVAJO ORATORIO EVENTS GET INSIDE THE MUSIC!
SEPTEMBER EVENTS World Premiere of The Summons September 20, Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. September 22, Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m. at Symphony Hall THE PHOENIX SYMPHONY Michael Christie, conductor Simon Trpčeski, piano MARK GREY The Summons (World Premiere) TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1 BERNSTIEN Fancy Free (complete ballet music) BRAHMS Hungarian Dances The year-long series of concerts and events kicks off with a world-premiere by Enemy Slayer composer Mark Grey. Grey's work The Summons will be paired with Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and the complete ballet music of Leonard Bernstein's Fancy Free. Grey will also take part in the evening's Musically Speaking a pre-concert discussion about the musical selections of the evening. Tickets: $19, $29, $39, $48, $58, $68 - click here to purchase
The Contemporary Navajo Eye: A Multi-Media Perspective September 21, Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. Location: Heard Museum – Monte Vista Room 2301 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85004 At the heart of Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio lies the culture of the Navajo people. Guests to this program, presented in partnership with the Heard Museum, will gain insight into the beliefs that form the composition's main elements. Navajo Poet Laura Tohe curates a selection of short films that illustrate the contemporary Navajo experience. Films include NTV, a satire of television from an all-Native perspective, by Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie; and two films—Flat and Conversion—by Nanobah Becker. Tohe and Becker, alongside Mark Grey, will present a concluding panel discussion on the representation of Navajo culture in contemporary art. To RSVP to this FREE EVENT, call the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602-495-1999.
OCTOBER & NOVEMBER EVENTS
Genesis & Adaptation The Creation of The Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio October 29, Monday evening at 7:00 p.m.; Pre-event reception at 6:00 p.m. Location: Heard Museum – Steele Auditorium 2301 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85004
Through a performance of excerpts from The Enemy Slayer, Composer Mark Grey will give audiences the first glimpse of his evolving score. Guests to this program, presented in partnership with the Heard Museum, will see firsthand the process of creating a symphonic work like the oratorio. In addition to the live performance, Grey will showcase examples of his evolving score through a computer-generated musical performance, accompanied by concert visual enhancements created by photographer Deborah O'Grady.
To RSVP to this FREE EVENT, call the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602-495-1999.
First Sound @ First Friday November 2, Friday evening from 6:00 – 10:00 p.m. Location: Roosevelt Row in Downtown Phoenix As part of Phoenix's First Friday Art Walk, Mark Grey and Navajo composer Raven Chacon will create a sound installation celebrating the Southwest's diverse musical heritage. Utilizing an “installation tent” located between the gallery spaces of Modified Arts and Eye Lounge, The Phoenix Symphony embeds this project into the fabric of the downtown arts scene. Come see the work of hundreds of local painters, sculptors, performance artists and musicians, entirely for free! Presented in partnership with Artlink Phoenix. For more information on galleries and the FREE First Friday activities, visit www.artlinkphoenix.org.
JANUARY EVENTS
Dvoŕák's “New World” Symphony January 24, Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts January 25, Friday evening at 8:00 p.m. Mesa Arts Center January 26, Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m. Orpheum Theatre THE PHOENIX SYMPHONY Lawrence Golan, Conductor James Pellerite, flute MOZART Overture to Die Zauberflöte MAULDIN Dreams of the Child of Light YEAGLEY Wes-ih-vah-peh HILL Meditation and Ritual Dance DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 (From the New World) Hear diverse examples of Native American influence in classical music, as Resident Conductor Lawrence Golan leads this wide-ranging concert with world-renowned flutist James Pellerite. Described as a disciple of the Native American flute by the Sunday Herald-Times, Pellerite's talent showcases “the sound of the whole wide earth magically brought indoors.” This concert is a perfect companion to The Phoenix Symphony's presentation of Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio in February! In addition, concertgoers will hear Dvorak's stirring New World Symphony, written as a postcard home from the Americas. Tickets: Scottsdale: $28, $40, $52 - click here to purchase Mesa: $21, $31, $41, $51 - click here to purchase Orpheum: $19, $29, $39, $49 - click here to purchase
5th World: Life on the Navajo Nation January 26, Saturday afternoon at 2:00 PM Location: Orpheum Theatre 203 W. Adams St. Phoenix, AZ 85003 Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005, Larry Blackhorse Lowe's film 5th World follows the budding romance between Andrei and Aria, whose relationship takes flight as they hitchhike together across the Navajo Reservation. During their journey, the duo discovers their tribal culture will change them in powerful and unexpected ways. This Arizona-based movie was filmed on the Navajo Nation, with scenes spanning the red rock stretch between Tuba City and Kayenta, Ariz., and a highway in the Four Corners region. Director Blackhorse Lowe lives and works in Mesa, Arizona. The screening includes a post-event discussion with Mark Grey, Laura Tohe, and Larry Blackhorse Lowe. To RSVP to this FREE EVENT, call the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602-495-1999. Reservations are suggested.
The Narrative: A Multi-Cultural Tradition January 27, Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. Location: Arizona State University Herberger College of the Arts, Katzin Concert Hall 50 E. Gammage Pkwy. Tempe, AZ 85287 Audience members will get an up-close look at Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio, in an evening dedicated to words and meaning. The Phoenix Symphony Chorus, composer Mark Grey and librettist Laura Tohe present a performance and discussion of the musical text from The Enemy Slayer. Grey, Tohe, and ASU Professor of Composition James DeMars discuss the historical tradition of story narratives in the Navajo culture and the way those traditions are reflected in Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio. To RSVP to this FREE EVENT, call the Phoenix Symphony Box Office at 602-495-1999.
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Student Preview Join The Phoenix Symphony for an Open Rehearsal of Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio February 5, Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Symphony Hall 75 N Second St. Phoenix, AZ 85004
As the world premiere of Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio nears, high school and college students can get an early listen! The Phoenix Symphony invites interested classes to attend an open rehearsal of the work, with a discussion of the composition process led by composer Mark Grey. Students will have the first-hand opportunity to watch how a world premier performance comes together.
To schedule your school's attendance to this FREE EVENT, call the Phoenix Symphony Education Office at 602-495-1117 x. 311.
WORLD PREMIERE Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio February 7, Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. February 9, Saturday evening at 8:00 p.m.
THE PHOENIX SYMPHONY Michael Christie, conductor Scott Hendricks, baritone The Phoenix Symphony Chorus
GROF Grand Canyon Suite MARK GREY Enemy Slayer: A Navajo Oratorio (World Premiere)
More than a year and a half of work culminates in this world-premiere concert weekend. Centered around a Navajo tribal narrative, Enemy Slayer is a contemporary interpretation of a warrior born to ridthe world of monsters. Created by acclaimed Music Alive Composer-in-Residence Mark Grey and Navajo Poet Laura Tohe, the oratorio incorporates a chorus of over 100 voices, the full symphony orchestra and baritone soloist Scott Hendricks. Paired with Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite, this will be a celebration of the beauty and heritage of Arizona and truly one of the great highlights of The Phoenix Symphony's 60th Anniversary Season.
Tickets: $19, $29, $39, $48, $58, $68 - click here to purchase Thursday or Saturday
Mark Grey, composer, is a musician and sound designer now living in Phoenix. Originally from San Francisco, Grey made his Carnegie Hall debut as a composer with the Kronos Quartet in November 2003. His music has been performed in such venues as the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Barbican Centre in London, Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, and Royce Hall in Los Angeles. As a sound designer, he has premiered several major works for composers John Adams, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry Riley and Paul Dresher. He is an artistic collaborator, sound designer, and soundscape engineer for John Adams' critically acclaimed On the Transmigration of Souls, which received the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Music as well as three Grammy awards in 2005.
About The Phoenix Symphony: Founded in 1947, The Phoenix Symphony proudly serves the citizens of Phoenix and the surrounding metropolitan area, Arizona, and the southwestern United States. What began as an occasional group of musicians performing a handful of concerts each year (in a city of fewer than 100,000 people) today serves more than 325,000 people annually, with 275 concerts and presentations throughout the greater Phoenix area and beyond. Under the artistic leadership of Michael Christie as the Virginia G. Piper Music Director and administrative leadership of President Maryellen H. Gleason, the orchestra is overseen by the non-profit Phoenix Symphony Association under Board Chairman Gerald W. Murphy. The 76-member Phoenix Symphony presents an annual season from September through the beginning of June, featuring full-length classical and pops concerts at Symphony Hall in downtown Phoenix, in Mesa, in Scottsdale, in Prescott, and throughout central Arizona. The Symphony performs for more than 50,000 students and children (representing over 260 different schools), helping to introduce music to new generations through a variety of education and youth-engagement programs.
Special thanks to: Target, The Heard Museum, KBAQ, The American Symphony Orchestra League and the City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture
--------------------------------------------------------- The Phoenix Symphony's 2007-08 Media Sponsors are The Arizona Republic and KAET.
