Cabrillo Festival announces 2021 season with Music Director Cristian Măcelaru
Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music announces its virtual 2021 season.
Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Announces its 59th Season
Season highlights include world premieres by composers Gabriela Lena Frank, Jake Heggie, and Sean Shepherd. The Festival’s 2021 virtual season features online offerings of dance, photography, video and animation, and includes renowned guest artists St. Lawrence String Quartet, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, violinist Benjamin Beilman, and the award-winning Cabrillo Festival Orchestra led by Cristian Măcelaru.
SANTA CRUZ, CA (March 1, 2021) The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, America’s longest-running festival of new orchestral music, premieres its second-ever virtual season program, July 31 – August 8, 2021. Led by Grammy Award-winning Music Director and Conductor Cristian Măcelaru, the Festival’s season offers themes of resiliency, hope, and realism, in response to the profound crises of climate change, wildfires, and persistence of human oppression.
Featuring site-specific dance, environmental photography, animation, and videography weaved through new and recent compositions for full orchestra and chamber ensemble, the Festival’s 2021 season advances its exploration of the virtual concert experience. This year’s composers are Gabriela Lena Frank, Jake Heggie, Sean Shepherd, and emerging composers Theo Chandler, Meng Wang, and Jeremy Rapaport-Stein. Featured are the award-winning Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, with three new works recorded remotely and a 2018 ensemble recording; and guest artists mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, violinist Benjamin Beilman, St. Lawrence String Quartet, choreographer/dancer Molly Katzman, National Geographic photographer Camille Seaman, and animation artist/designer David Murakami. Virtual programs will be realized by director Elena Park, Svet Stoyanov, cinematographer Frazer Bradshaw, Swan Dive Media, and others.
Providing audiences access to artists and their creative process remains a focus in the Cabrillo Festival’s online experience. Beginning on March 6, the Festival launches a pre-season series of “Composers in Conversation.” The first Saturday of each month, March through July, Maestro Măcelaru will host online conversations between small groups of composers, with space for audience questions. Featured composers include Clarice Assad, Jennifer Higdon, Wynton Marsalis, Kevin Puts, Iván Enrique Rodríguez, Huang Ruo, and others to be announced.
Cabrillo Festival’s 2021 virtual season concerts and events will be held over two weekends, July 31 – Aug 1, and Aug 7 – 8, with details outlined below. Each Festival day will feature an educational or special program at 11am PDT. Each concert will premiere at 7pm PDT, and be followed by a live Post-Concert Artist Q&A, hosted by Măcelaru. All programming is free and accessible to the public.
Following each premiere, concerts and events will remain accessible via on-demand streaming on the website and on their YouTube channel. Paid subscription packages offer access to additional program content and are encouraged in support of the Festival. Donations are welcomed at any time. The public is invited to join the Cabrillo Festival mailing list for advance notification and special announcements.
Educational Program (TBA) – Saturday, July 31 at 11am
Panel discussion/educational program related to the climate crisis and California wildfires.
Gabriela Lena Frank [New Work Title TBD] – Saturday, July 31 at 7 pm
Composer Gabriela Lena Frank’s new 10-minute work addresses the 2020 California wildfires and will be presented in two versions: one for virtual chamber ensemble and full orchestra, featuring members of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra (recorded remotely); and another presented as a dance video choreographed by Santa Cruz-based choreographer/dancer Molly Katzman and filmed by Swan Dive Media. The dance will be filmed in natural environments devastated by the CZU Lightning Complex wildfires.
Live Post-Concert Artists Talk & Q&A, moderated by Cristian Măcelaru: with composer Gabriela Lena Frank, Svet Stoyanov, and Molly Katzman.
Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony – Sunday, August 1 at 11am
Cabrillo Festival presents the Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony in two world premiere commissions: a work for remotely recorded youth orchestra by composer Danny Clay, and a chamber work by Eli Gilbert for Fourtés Violin Quartet, an ensemble of the SCCYS Chamber Music Academy.
In The Works Concert – Sunday, August 1 at 7pm
In the Works is a concert of six solo works and three duets written for members of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra by three emerging composers from the Cabrillo Festival Composers Workshop—Theo Chandler, Meng Wang, Jeremy Rapaport-Stein.
Live Post-Concert Artists Talk & Q&A, moderated by Cristian Măcelaru: with composers Theo Chandler, Meng Wang, and Jeremy Rapaport-Stein.
Educational Program (TBA) – Saturday, August 7 at 11am
Panel discussion/educational program related to the evening’s concert.
Jake Heggie, INTONATIONS: Songs from the Violins of Hope – Saturday, August 7 at 7pm
Composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer’s INTONATIONS: Songs from the Violins of Hope is the culmination of an extensive SF Bay Area collaboration begun in 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. “The Violins of Hope” are a collection of violins of the Holocaust, many used in the concentration camps, which have been meticulously restored by Israeli luthiers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein. Inspired by James Grymes’ book “Violins of Hope,” INTONATIONS tells the extraordinary tales of six of these storied instruments. Directed by Elena Park with cinematography by Frazer Bradshaw, this artfully produced video will feature mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, violinist Benjamin Beilman, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet, performing the full chamber ensemble version of the work. The 45-minute performance will interweave portions of the Festival-commissioned orchestral version of the music, recorded remotely by the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra.
Live Post-Concert Artists Talk & Q&A, moderated by Cristian Măcelaru: with Jake Heggie, Gene Scheer, Sasha Cooke, and Benjamin Beilman.
Educational Program (TBA) – Sunday, August 8 at 11am
Panel discussion/educational program related to the evening’s concert.
Sean Shepherd, Melt and (New Work Title TBA) – Sunday, August 8 at 7pm
In 2018, Cabrillo Festival co-commissioned and premiered Melt, Sean Shepherd’s critically acclaimed 14-minute musical lament on climate change and the disappearance of the world’s glaciers. Now set with images and video by renowned National Geographic photographer Camille Seaman, the orchestra’s archival recording of Melt will be paired with the world premiere of a newly commissioned 5-minute sequel by Shepherd. The [new work title TBD] is a hopeful reflection on the resilience of the forest after a wildfire, presented in two versions: one for virtual orchestra, and a second version brought to life by animation artist David Murakami.
Live Post-Concert Artists Talk & Q&A, moderated by Cristian Măcelaru: with Sean Shepherd, Camille Seaman, and David Murakami.
CABRILLO FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Pre-Season Composers in Conversation Dates:
First Saturdays: March 6, April 3, May 1, June 5, July 3; @ 11am PDT.
Includes live audience Q&As.
Festival Season Dates:
Saturdays and Sundays: July 31 – August 1 and August 7 – 8; @ 11am and 7pm PDT.
WORLD PREMIERE FESTIVAL COMMISSIONS
Gabriela Lena Frank: Title TBD (co-commissioned with La Jolla Music Society SummerFest)
10-12 minute work in two parts;
Part 1 for chamber ensemble, Part 2 for full orchestra, recorded remotely.
Jake Heggie: Intonations: Songs from the Violins of Hope (orchestral version), 45-minute work
featuring Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano; Benjamin Beilman, violin;
St. Lawrence String Quartet; and the remotely recorded Cabrillo Festival Orchestra.
Sean Shepherd: Title TBD
4-5 minute work for full orchestra, recorded remotely.
FEATURED COMPOSERS:
Theo Chandler
Danny Clay
Gabriela Lena Frank
Eli Gilbert
Jake Heggie
Jeremy Rapaport-Stein
Sean Shepherd
Meng Wang
GUEST ARTISTS:
Benjamin Beilman, violin
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Fourtés Violin Quartet
St. Lawrence String Quartet
Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony
Frazer Bradshaw, cinematographer
Molly Katzman, choreographer
David Murakami, animation artist
Elena Park, director/producer
Camille Seaman, photographer
Swan Dive Media, videography
How to Access Programs:
All events will be streamed directly on the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music’s website. Following each premiere, programs will be accessible via on-demand streaming on the Festival’s website and on their YouTube channel. While most programs are free, paid subscriptions are encouraged to access additional content. Subscriptions will be available via the Festival’s website starting May 1. Donations are welcomed at any time.
Important Links:
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