Contemporary Classics May 15 Christopher Wicks - Music and Conversation

Tonight on Contemporary Classics is the music of and conversation with Christopher Wicks, composer, musician and poet from Oregon.

Christopher Wicks Violin Sonata No 6  (op. 636)

"Violin Sonata No. 6," played by violinist Stephanie Barth and pianist Debra Huddleston at the Mt. Angel Abbey Library Auditorium on February 10, 2018 as part of the program where the opera “Love is Strong as Death” was premiered.  This piece is dedicated to Stephanie Barth.  Stephanie Barth, violinist;  Debra Huddleston, pianist.

This piece continues the composer’s explorations of classical sonata formal designs juxtaposed with a less predictable harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic language.   The work is in 3 movements

The first movement marked Moderato, con moto uses the traditional sonata-allegro formal design.  The second movement marked Molto largo is a song of mourning, and the third marked Allegretto is something of an exercise for lyrical multiple-stop playing for the violinist, while clanging added-note chords in the piano take on the character of a bell-peal.

Stephanie Barth (violinist) is the concertmaster of the Salem Philharmonia, and maintains an active strings studio. She has been responsible for strings programs at Blanchet Catholic School and at the Seventh-Day Adventist school in Salem.

Debra Huddleston (pianist) holds a MM from the Hartt School in Connecticut, and studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. She is one of Salem’s most sought-after keyboard accompanists, and directs the music at First Presbyterian Church in Woodburn.

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Christopher Wicks Four Miniatures for Flute

"Four Miniatures for Flute," played by Emily Potter, flutist with the composer Christopher Wicks at the piano.  Emily asked for these pieces to play for her master's recital at the Guildhall School of Music in London, England.  The movements are concise, and each represents a season of the year, beginning with winter, besides exploring a variety of a tonal or semi-tonal compositional techniques.  The subtitles of the movements are 'Icicles,' 'Streamlets,' 'Ripe Wheat' and 'Wind in Dry Leaves.'

Emily Potter began her career in music while studying with Sandy Duffy Norman of Sunridge Flute Studios in Salem, Oregon. Emily recently graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Music degree in Flute Performance and Master of Music degree Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.  She has also performed with the Guildhall Opera Orchestra and at the Barbican with the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra.  She is a Miyazawa flute artist.

Christopher Wicks - Love Is Strong As Death

Aimée Larsen Amend as ISEULT

Bennett Bailey as TRISTAM

Alison Christiansen Seeber as the ANGEL

Debra Huddleston, pianist

Aimée Larsen Amend (soprano--Iseult) holds a Master of Music degree from Western Oregon University in Monmouth. She is a soprano section leader for Willamette Master Chorus in Salem, and the Director of Music for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Salem.

Alison Christiansen Seeber (soprano--the Angel) is extensively involved with the music at St. Paul Catholic Church in Silverton, and sings with an eclectic vocal group called Ad Lucem. She was a charter member of the chamber choir Unistus, and sang for several seasons with Oregon Repertory Singers.

Bennett Bailey (baritone--Tristam) is currently the music director at Emmanuel Presbyterian Church, music director for Willamette Radio Workshop, founder and director of The Holly Jolly Radio Singers, founder and director of Complaints Choir of Portland, staff singer and soloist for Cantores in Ecclesia, and former director of ViVoce Women's Chorus, and creative director for Steam Radio Syndicate. Bennett holds a B.A. in Music from Portland State University, where he was later a graduate teaching assistant.

May 27, 2018:  Sunday, 3 PM.  Performance of Wicks’ half-hour opera Love Is Strong As Death, on an original libretto, preceded by brief excerpts from three earlier operatic works of his.  With sopranos Alison Christiansen Seeber and Aimee Larsen Amend;  baritone Bennett Bailey;  and the composer Christopher Wicks at the piano. At Emmanuel Presbyterian Church at 19200 Willamette Drive in West Linn, Oregon. 

Christopher Wicks-Cello Suite III, Op 546

Cellist Katherine Parks studied Cello Pedagogy with Katalin Rootering at the Richard-Strauss Konservatorium in Munich, Germany, obtaining her master’s degree. Her undergraduate degree in Music is from Idaho State University, in her native region of Eastern Idaho. She has participated in masterclasses with renowned cellists Janos Starker, Reiner Ginzel, Claudio Jaffe and Steven Doane, and has performed with the European Philharmonic, the Munich Symphony, and the Boise Philharmonic. She has held public school teaching positions in Boise and Salem. She currently teaches private music lessons at Western Oregon University and from her home. In her spare time, Katherine loves to swim, read, and play the piano. She plays on a Christopher Dungey cello that was built in 1997, based on a 1739 Montagnana model.