Innovative collaboration melds music and photography
PITTSBURGH PA – Resonance Works | Pittsburgh completes its inaugural season with Natural Frequency on June 7 and 8 at the New Hazlett Theater on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Featuring music that evokes imagery of the natural world, this program melds works of Debussy, Barber, Copland, and Pittsburgh-based composer Nancy Galbraith with projected images designed by local photographer Chuck Beard.
According to artistic director Maria Sensi Sellner, “As humans, we are all a part of nature, and our work affects and is influenced by this relationship. Natural Frequency explores the interconnectivity of nature and human innovation through music, poetry, and visual imagery.”
“The musical works chosen for Natural Frequency are so evocative on their own,” says Beard, “but I am hoping to lend a different visual concept to these pieces that people haven’t considered before. The theme of the images will range from imaginary miniature verdant forests to steel-era structures standing in decay, all arranged to echo the narrative of the music.” Photos from Beard’s “Abandoned Pittsburgh” and “Wee Grove” projects will be included, along with new images taken just for this event.
The program opens with Debussy’s landmark Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, a free-form musical depiction of the poem by Mallarme that connects nature’s inspiration with artistic innovation – a theme that permeates this program as well as the mission of Resonance Works.
CMU composition professor Nancy Galbraith’s music is praised for its rich harmonic texture, rhythmic vitality, emotional and spiritual depth, and wide range of expression. In Four Nature Canticles, Galbraith sets poetry of Emily Dickinson, Robert Browning, James Joyce, and Robert Frost for women’s vocal ensemble and chamber orchestra.
One of Pittsburgh’s favorite baritones, Daniel Teadt joins the Resonance Works String Quartet in Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach. The “darkling plain” of the Arnold poem is juxtaposed in the program with Copland’s iconic Appalachian Spring Suite, a celebration of the open fields and endless possibilities of American pioneers in the wilds of Pennsylvania.
It is an uplifting conclusion to the inaugural season for Resonance Works, and a strong indicator of what is to come from this new and exciting company.
The Resonance Chamber Orchestra and Vocal Ensemble will be conducted by Artistic Director and founder Maria Sensi Sellner. Tickets are $40 (Premium) and $20 (General admission) and are available online at www.ResonanceWorks.org. Group discounts and a student rate of $10 are available.
About Resonance Works | Pittsburgh
Inspired by Pittsburgh’s industrial and economic reinvention, Resonance Works is a collaborative and evolving company dedicated to exploring the confluence of music, space, artist, and audience. We provide artists of the highest caliber opportunities to realize works on their own creative “bucket lists,” yielding transformative experiences for artists and audiences alike. Whether we perform in coffeehouses, churches or concert halls, our venues trigger the alchemical possibilities of art, creating unique experiences that resonate with energy and passion.
