BULGARIAN PIANIST ANNA LEVY INTRODUCES BULGARIAN MUSIC

AT THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY MUSIC OF CENTRAL EUROPE FESTIVAL

 

 

Seattle, WA— DoubleSharp is proud to announce its support of a program of contemporary Bulgarian piano music performed by distinguished Bulgarian pianist Anna Levy in her debut in Seattle on Sunday, June 3, 2007, at 4pm, at Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall, Benaroya Hall (200 University Street, Seattle). Musicologist Gregory Myers will make comments. The artists will present the best piano compositions created in Bulgaria in the last century, including works by Pancho Vladigerov, Veselin Stoianov, Vasil Kazandzhiev, Ivan Spassov and Georghi Arnaoudov.

 

The performance will be part of the Seattle Symphony Central Europe Music Festival: Bridging the 48^th Parallel festival. The festival is Seattle Symphony’s celebration of the music of composers from Central Europe, with repertoire spanning seven decades of the 20th century. Like Seattle, the great musical cities of that area, notably Prague and Budapest, rest on or about the 48th parallel. As part of the festival, the Symphony will present a free Community Celebration with events on June 2, 3 and 8, with performances by local artists in a variety of disciplines.

 

Anna Levy received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Russia, in 1990. She has served on the piano faculty of the State Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria, and appeared with orchestras and in solo recitals. After moving to Canada, she appeared both as a soloist and chamber musician championing contemporary music at Ohio State University, the University of Illinois, Kwantlen College, Simon Fraser University, Douglas College and Capilano College. In 2003, Levy issued her first CD and formed the Yarilo Music Ensemble; in May 2005, her ensemble was featured in a CBC broadcast. The ensemble has received grants from the Canadian Music Centre’s New Music in New Places program. Levy has also received support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

 

Gregory Myers is an independent scholar currently residing in Vancouver, B.C. He holds a Ph.D. in historical musicology from the University of British Columbia, with an area specialization in the music of Eastern Europe, specifically Russia and the Balkans. He researches, publishes extensively and lectures on issues of medieval music (Byzantium and the Slavs) and the post World War II musical developments of these countries. Myers has held fellowships at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Ivan Dujcev Centre for Slavo-Byzantine Studies in Sofia, Bulgaria, as well as at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., Ohio State University and the University of Illinois, Champagne-Urbana.

 

DoubleSharp is a non-profit organization established to present artistic and educational events with excellence, creativity, and diversity in order to actively promote the appreciation of contemporary and world music and to challenge, educate, and enrich our audiences. DoubleSharp is dedicated to researching contemporary and world music and to enriching American and world audiences with musics of other cultures.  For more information, call (425) 802-3503 or visit www.DoubleSharp.org.  

 

Seattle Symphony

Seattle Symphony, now presenting its 104th season, has been under the artistic leadership of Music Director Gerard Schwarz since 1985. In 1998, the Orchestra began performing in the acoustically superb Benaroya Hall in downtown Seattle. The Symphony is recognized for its adventurous programming and tradition of performing music by contemporary composers. Seattle Symphony has made more than 100 recordings and garnered 11 Grammy nominations. From September through July, the Symphony is heard live by more than 315,000 people annually.

 

 

 

Program

 

Sunday, June 3, 2007, at 4pm

Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall

 

Central Europe Music Festival: BRIDGING THE 48th PARALLEL

Bulgarian Piano Music

Anna Levy, piano

Gregory Myers, commentator

 

 

Pancho Vladigerov    Ruchenitsa, Op. 29, No. 6

 

Veselin Stoianov          Lullaby

 

Vasil Kazandzhiev       The Triumph of the Bells

 

Ivan Spassov                     Creation, Death and Resignation

                                                Petit morceau dans un stil folklorique

 

Georghi Arnaoudov   Rituel I

Forgotten Songs

 

Admission is free.

 

 

 

Media and Ticket Information Contact: DoubleSharp@DoubleSharp.org; (206) 434-9969