CELLIST AND MUSICOLOGIST ELIZABETH WILSON MAKES HER FIRST SEATTLE TOUR

AUGUST 19-29

Presentations at the University of Washington Baltic Studies Summer Institute,

Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center,

and the Seattle Violoncello Society

Seattle, WA— DoubleSharp, a non-profit corporation dedicated to promoting the appreciation of contemporary and world music, is co-producing cellist and musicologist Elizabeth Wilson’s first Seattle tour on August 19-29. Lectures and presentations are scheduled for:

- The University of Washington Baltic Studies Summer Institute (University of Washington campus, Music Building, room 213) on Thursday, August 19, at 7 pm. Title: The Post-Soviet Music Landscape: A Journey from the Baltic States to Central Asia;

- Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center on Thursday, August 26 at 7 pm. Title: Britten-Shostakovich-Rostropovich;

- Seattle Cello Society (University of Washington School of Music, Brechemin Auditorium) on Sunday, August 29, at 3pm. Title: The Art of Mstislav Rostropovich.

World-renowned British-Italian cellist and musicologist Elizabeth Wilson was born in London and studied cello at the Moscow Conservatoire with Mstislav Rostropovich as his first conservatory cello student. On her return to London, she embarked on a performing and teaching career, which she continues to this day, in combination with writing and research. Wilson’s interest in contemporary music has resulted in many premieres of new music, including many pieces which she commissioned or which were dedicated to her by some of the most prominent European composers. She has co-organized several important cotemporary music festivals, including the Almeida Festival in London. In 1994 Wilson’s biography of Shostakovich Shostakovich - A Life Remembered was published in the UK and the USA to great critical acclaim. Her biography of the British cellist Jacqueline du Pré was published in the UK and the USA in 1998. (Both books are on the lists of Faber and Faber.) She is currently working on a book about Mstislav Rostropovich. She has also written extensively about contemporary Russian music and composers, and has worked as consultant on a BBC TV documentary about Alfred Schnittke. Wilson currently resides in Italy, where she continues teaching and performing. In 1995 she founded the Xenia Ensemble, an organization dedicated to playing contemporary music and to carrying out interdisciplinary and educational projects.

The University of Washington Baltic Studies Summer Institute, the Washington Composers Forum, and DoubleSharp are presenting Elizabeth Wilson’s lecture The Post-Soviet Music Landscape: A Journey from the Baltic States to Central Asia. Wilson will speak about the conscious realization of national identity in the cultures of former Soviet states, presenting musical works by Arvo Pärt, Erkki-Sven Tüür, Toivo Tulev, Osvaldas Balakauskas, Peteris Vasks, Giya Kancheli, Franghis Ali-Zadeh, Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky, and others.

Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center, REECAS (Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, University of Washington), and DoubleSharp are presenting Elizabeth Wilson’s lecture Britten-Shostakovich-Rostropovich. Wilson will explore the fruitful artistic relationship that composers Benjamin Britten and Dmitri Shostakovich enjoyed with cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, for whom both composers created major new works. Wilson will also speak about her father, a British ambassador to the Soviet Union, who played a significant role in the interaction of the three great musicians.

The Seattle Cello Society and DoubleSharp are presenting Elizabeth Wilson’s lecture The Art of Mstislav Rostropovich. Wilson, who studied with Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatoire, will speak about aspects of her teacher's performance practice. She will also conduct a masterclass for advanced music students in the Seattle area, focusing on interpretation of the cello works by Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky.

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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 visit www.doublesharp.org.

The Baltic Studies Summer Institute (BALSSI) is the national center for intensive summer courses in the Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian languages. Language courses are complemented by concerts, films, art exhibits, and guest lectures about Baltic culture and history by leading scholars in the field. For more information visit http://depts.washington.edu/baltic/balssi/.

Washington Composers Forum (WCF) is a non-profit arts organization that nurtures the creation, performance, and dissemination of new music. For more information visit

www.washingtoncomposers.org.

Over 125,000 people have visited Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center since its opening in April 2001 in Benaroya Hall. This interactive learning center features hands-on exhibits, orchestral instruments, and a workshop/performance space, and is devoted to the exploration, creation, and understanding of symphonic music by people of all ages. For more information visit http://www.seattlesymphony.org/soundbridge/.

REECAS (Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, University of Washington) is a National Resource Center supporting a wide range of resources and activities for members of the academic community and the public who are studying the region at any level, are doing business with the countries of the region, or have organizational ties to the region. For more information visit http://depts.washington.edu/reecas/.

The Seattle Violoncello Society was founded in 1978. It sponsors cello master classes, concerts and the annual "Bach Suite Marathon". For more information email the Seattle Violoncello Society at cellodog@comcast.net.

(Complete Tour Schedule Follows)

Contact:

Phone: (425) 802-3503

e-mail: DoubleSharp@DoubleSharp.org

ELIZABETH WILSON SEATTLE TOUR

PRESENTATION SCHEDULE

THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2004 at 7pm

Music School Building, room 213

University of Washington campus

45th and 15th Avenue NE in Seattle

The Post-Soviet Music Landscape: A Journey from the Baltic States to Central Asia

Admission free.

Presented by the University of Washington Baltic Studies Summer Institute, Washington Composers Forum, and DoubleSharp

THURSDAY, AUGUST 26, 2004 at 7pm

Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center

Benaroya Hall, Union and 2^nd Avenue in Seattle

Britten-Shostakovich-Rostropovich

Attendance free with Soundbridge Membership or daily admission

Presented by Soundbridge Seattle Symphony Music Discovery Center, REECAS (Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies, University of Washington), and DoubleSharp

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 2004 at 3 pm

University of Washington School of Music

Brechemin Auditorium

45th and 15th Avenue NE in Seattle

The Art of Mstislav Rostropovich

Masterclass

Admission: donations gratefully accepted

Presented by Seattle Violoncello Society and DoubleSharp