Featuring premieres by three generations of female American composers, this program showcases the dynamic blending of violin and percussion quartet.

Hear from the composers themselves:

“I see this project as a violin concerto of sorts, but in a more adventurous vein, as a percussion orchestra forms the backdrop for this setting. There is an inherent theatricality in the sound world I am seeking to explore, so as part of the process of composition, I worked with the performers to maximize the use of spatial possibilities in the room, placement of instruments, and movement of performers.”
— Vivian Fung on her New Work

“When I spent some time with the wonderful composer Arvo Pärt, we had a discussion about the origins of music. He felt music came from the voice (or singing) and I had a different idea that it came from the drum (or dancing). Basically, this difference of opinion reflects a longtime split between composers who write mostly for the voice (Pärt, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, etc.) and those that compose mostly for instruments (me, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, etc.). When I was asked to write a piece for violin and percussion, that difference became immediately apparent: how to have these two very different instruments in the same space, living fairly comfortably together.”
— JOAN TOWER on ‘To Sing or Dance’

This concert is dedicated to Greg Rupert, Betsy Chamberlin, Rob Cole, and Jean MacGregor for their generous support of Emerald City Music. Vivian Fung and Joan Tower’s commissions were made possible thanks to the support of the ECM Commissioners Circle.

photo credit: Carlin Ma