REPRESENT
Hannah Penn
Vocal Soloist
Salem Symphonic Winds will return to the Elsinore Theatre on Sunday, March 13, 2022, at 3 pm The ensemble has embraced a powerful and expressive program to bring healing and joy to our audience.”
Portland mezzo-soprano Hannah Penn will be the featured soloist. She is renowned for her musicality and the richness of her voice. She is well known in the classical world, appearing in more than twenty operas, and on concert stages with symphonies worldwide. Her diversity will be evident in this Salem performance. She will present two arias from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet, the music she sang to critical acclaim in Portland and Ecuador, and the Tango de la Menegilda from the Spanish Zarzuela La Gran Via by Federico Chueca. Ms. Penn will join a chamber ensemble for Five Cabaret Songs by William Bolcom in various popular music styles. “The songs range from reflective, to sultry, coquettish, to just plain funny,” according to Skelton.
The band will feature the Afro-American Symphony by William Grant Still, the “Dean of Afro-American Composers.” Composed in 1930, Still’s groundbreaking work celebrated black culture with original music that included the first appearance of “the blues” on the concert stage intermingled with spirituals in a proud representation of the evolution of black culture from the post-Civil War era into the 20th Century. Movements of the symphony represent a range of expressions with beautiful melodies, including Longing, Sorrow, Humor, and Aspiration.
The program includes various other works, including Magical Oregon by Frigyes Hidas, commissioned by the band to celebrate their 25th anniversary and our state’s scenic diversity and beauty. The band premiered the work at the Elsinore in November of 2000. Whirlegigg is a light-hearted and joyful opener by British composer Kenneth Hesketh. You Were There is a poignant arrangement by James Woodward of the hymn tune I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry.
The program will conclude with Hands Across the Sea by John Philip Sousa. Written in 1899, during the Spanish-American War, the march was addressed to no particular nation but all of America’s friends abroad. Printed on the front cover at the time of its publication was the quote, “A sudden thought strikes me–let us swear an eternal friendship.”
John Skelton will offer a pre-concert talk about the music at 2:15 pm. That will be followed by a performance of William Grant Still’s Miniatures by the Willamette Valley Woodwind Quintet before the concert.
Tickets are available at the Elsinore Theatre, 170 High St. SE in Salem, or online at ElsinoreTheatre.com. For more information about the program and COVID-19 requirements, visit SalemSymphonicWinds.org or call 503 362-0485.
