Fantastic Season Opener - "A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust"

We are delighted to share with you that our season opening concert "A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust" was an intensely moving and memorable event. Working with fantastic guest artists Shulamit Ran, composer, and Lucy Shelton, soprano, was musically thrilling.


We are honored that Daniel Kutner, Consul-General of Israel to the Mid-Atlantic Region of the United States, attended and gave a welcome.
The outpouring of audience comments has been very gratifying.

Here are some quotes from concertgoers:
"I was totally “blown away” by the meaning and magnitude of “A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust.” The texts and music as expressed in masterful performances by Lucy Shelton and the Dolce Suono Ensemble brought the depth and horror of that time to life. No one in that audience could ever forget that memorable concert experience and the tragedy for which it stood." - N. H.

"What a wonderful and very special concert that was today. Very meaningful and emotional. The finale, Shulamit Ran's O the Chimneys was dramatic, powerful and chilling." - W. L.
"The concert was a monument. Lucy Shelton, like Dolce Suono Ensemble, makes the audience understand the music and the ideas. Dolce Suono Ensemble's varied program of Holocaust compositions blended their brand of interpretation and artistry into a meaningful and personal experience." - M. L.
"Honestly, we we overwhelmed by the emotion and passion displayed by the artists. Each artist perfectly supported the other in a most professional manner. We can not imagine a more perfect performance. Thank you for the opportunity to experience this." - H. B.

"We want to thank you very much for the wonderful performance you presented yesterday. We were thrilled with the pieces, especially the last piece that brought us right into the death camps. Shulamit Ran is a marvelous composer." - M. B.


And some photos

Soprano Lucy Shelton and Dolce Suono Ensemble at the sound check for Shulamit Ran's O the Chimneysin Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music (November 13, 2011)

Shulamit Ran, Lucy Shelton, and Mimi Stillman after the concert

Rehearsals for "A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust" - November 13

Here's a peek at Dolce Suono Ensemble's rehearsal today with fabulous guest artist soprano Lucy Shelton for our concert "A Place and a Name: Remembering the Holocaust," on Sunday, November 13 at 3:00pm at Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia. Lucy sounds amazing and brings utter enthusiasm to everything she touches - we are thrilled to be working with her. There was a lot of energy in the room today!

Our friend Shulamit Ran, who serves as DSE's Composer-in-Residence and Artistic Co-Curator during the 2011-2012 season, will be flying in from Rome for rehearsals and the concert. This fall, she is Fromm Fellow at the American Academy in Rome. We're honored she'll be with us for three different projects during the season, including the premiere of her commissioned work in February in Philadelphia and New York.

Our program includes music by composers who were murdered by the Nazis - Gideon Klein, Viktor Ullmann, and Ilse Weber (who were imprisoned at the Terezin concentration camp) and the Dutch composer Leo Smit; André Previn and Tzvi Avni, who were refugees from the Nazis as children; and Shulamit Ran's O the Chimneys, her settings of poetry by Nelly Sachs for voice and ensemble.
For tickets, visit http://www.dolcesuono.com/

Here we are after rehearsing Shulamit's piece.

Left to right: Paul Demers, Yumi Kendall, Mimi Stillman, Gabriel Globus-Hoenich,

and Lucy Shelton. Pianist Charles Abramovic took this picture.

Lucy and Yumi share a funny moment during rehearsal of Viktor Ullmann's Herbst Lied for voice, violin, viola, and cello.

Left to right: Noah Geller, Burchard Tang, Yumi, Lucy

Some of the percussion parts in Ran's O the Chimneys are extremely loud, especially in a small room. DSE takes cover while Gabe strikes the chimes and Yumi practices the part where the cellist is instructed to play the vibraphone.

Left to right: Paul, Charlie, Yumi, Gabe, Lucy