|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
This January, Seraphic Fire will present a concert of music entirely by women composers, titled “In Her Own Voice,” led by conductor Elena Sharkova of Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale and Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley.
Works will span the breadth of music history, starting with the 11th Century with Hildegard von Bingen, stopping at 19th Century composers like Clara Schumann, and highlighting numerous contemporary composers such as Caroline Shaw and Reena Esmail.
The variety of the works presented depicts how women always have been active contributors to Western classical music, even if they have been left out of history books due to bias.
This will be conductor Elena Sharkova’s third time leading the South Florida choral ensemble.
She said of the opportunity, “I’ve worked with quite a few professional choirs all over the world and there’s nothing like Seraphic Fire. Hands down, the most exciting proposition I ever received as a conductor was when Patrick [Quigley] said I could put together any program that I wanted.”
When asked about the title of the concert, Sharkova replied, “We are so used to hearing stories of women, the history of women, expressed by men, whether they are composers or lyricists. Don’t speak for us; we have our own words. What if we spoke in our own voice of how we feel and how we think? We want to hear the woman talk about how she feels, how she prays, how she cries, and how she breaks the rules.”
In addition to the professional artists Seraphic Fire, undergraduate and graduate students from University of Miami’s Frost School of Music will perform in this concert as part of Seraphic Fire’s educational initiative, the Ensemble Artist Program. The program aims to offer experiential learning opportunities to emerging professional singers.
Tickets are available now for concerts Jan. 18-21, 2024 in Naples, Coral Gables, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami Beach. Audiences are invited to join a Pre-Concert Conversation with alto Amanda Crider one hour prior to the performance.
About Elena Sharkova, Conductor
Russian-American conductor Elena Sharkova was born in St. Petersburg and received rigorous music training from age 6. Sharkova holds a bachelor’s degree in piano and music education and a graduate degree in conducting from the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory.
She began her career as a professional ensemble singer, concertizing and recording extensively before moving to the U.S. in 1993 to pursue a career in academic teaching and conducting.
Today, Ms. Sharkova enjoys a diverse career and international acclaim as an inspirational and versatile conductor, master teacher, presenter, and jury member at music competitions. She has led professional, university, amateur, and youth choirs and orchestras and has taught masterclasses and summer courses in twenty-seven countries on four continents.
Program:
O virdissima virga – Hildegard von Bingen
Surge, propera amica mea – Raffaella Aleotti
“Lockung” from Gartenlieder, Op. 3 – Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel
“Abendfeier in Venedig” from Drei gemischte Chöre – Clara Schumann
“Through the house give glimmering light” and “Come Unto These Yellow Sands” from Three Shakespearean Choruses, op. 39 – Amy Beach
and the swallow – Caroline Shaw
My Guardian Angel – Judith Weir
Regina Caeli – Cecilia McDowall
Bogoróditse Dévo – Cheryl Frances-Hoad
Song of Songs – Jessica Ulusoy-Horsley
Grandmother Moon – Eleanor Daley
“I shall forget you presently, my dear” from Sonnets of Desire, Longing, and Whimsy – Stacy Garrop
“(Spell): for Victory” from A Book of Spells – Libby Larsen
“Pluck the Fruit and Taste the Pleasure” from Songs of Youth and Pleasure – Libby Larsen
Be Like the Bird – Abby Betinis
“The Unexpected Early Hour” from A Winter Breviary – Reena Esmail
“The Rights of Woman” from Speeches – Anna-Karin Klockar
Light of Late November – Dale Trumbore
“La Estrella” from Rimas Tropicales – Tania León
Stand in That River – Moira Smiley
Storm Comin’ – Wailin’ Jennys
Local performances:
Friday, Jan. 19, 8 p.m., Church of the Little Flower, 2711 Indian Mound Tr., Coral Gables
Sunday, Jan. 21, 4 p.m., All Souls Episcopal, 4025 Pine Tree Dr., Miami Beach
Tickets and subscriptions are on sale now at SeraphicFire.org and by phone at 305-285-9060.
ABOUT US:
For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami’s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami’s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area.
This family-owned media company publishes more than a dozen neighborhood publications, magazines, special sections on their websites, newsletters, as well as distributing them in print throughout Miami Dade County from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest, South Miami, Kendall, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay and Homestead. Each online publication and print editions provide comprehensive coverage of local news, events, business updates, lifestyle features, and local initiatives within its respective community.
Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami’s culture. Whether you’re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts, Miami’s Community Newspapers has you covered. For more information, be sure to check out: https://communitynewspapers.com.
If you have any questions, feel free to email Michael@communitynewspapers.com or Grant@communitynewspapers.com.
