THE SEATTLE SYMPHONY’S 2018–2019 SEASON CELEBRATES AND DEFINES LUDOVIC MORLOT’S INNOVATIVE TENURE
PROGRAMS INCLUDE 25 CONTEMPORARY COMPOSERS; TEN WORLD PREMIERES
COMMUNITY-DRIVEN COLLABORATIONS DEMONSTRATE A REDEFINED ROLE OF THE ORCHESTRA IN ITS COMMUNITY
SEATTLE, WA – The Grammy Award-winning Seattle Symphony’s 2018–2019 season marks the farewell season of Music Director Ludovic Morlot with ambitious programming that has defined his tenure. Ranging from J.S. Bach’s transcendent B-minor Mass to ten major world premieres, several programs with geographic, historical and social context will also be presented. Included are Heiner Goebbels’ multimedia work Surrogate Cities, which reflects on the impact of urbanism on society, and the world premiere performances of George Walker’s Visions, composed in response to the 2015 Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.
Embracing cultural collaborations, the Silkroad Ensemble returns to Seattle in February and includes commissions for the Seattle Symphony by Chen Yi and Kinan Azmeh. Championing the voices of today, the annual Celebrate Asia performance includes Unsuk Chin’s snagS&Snarls and a world premiere of the winning work from the Celebrate Asia Composition Competition.
During Ludovic Morlot’s tenure, the Seattle Symphony has seen thrilling performances, inventive programming bringing together the familiar and the unfamiliar, award-winning recordings, touring to Carnegie Hall and the West Coast, daring multimedia projects as well as work with youth, families and the community. Under Morlot’s baton, the orchestra has embarked on an eight-year exploration of French music, spanning over a hundred years of music by Berlioz, Debussy, Dutilleux, Fauré, Messiaen, Ravel and others. This season, Ludovic Morlot builds on this multi-year exploration of French music with a special focus on Debussy during the centenary year of the composer’s passing. Morlot traces the influence of Debussy into the present with music by contemporary French composers Pascal Dusapin and Marc-André Dalbavie. Recordings featuring the works of Berlioz, Ravel, Debussy and Dalbavie are planned for the 2018–2019 season.
Continuing on the path of innovation, the Seattle Symphony unveiled plans earlier in June for Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center, slated to open in February 2019. The launch of Octave 9 coincides with the Symphony’s season-long celebration of the 20th anniversary of Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony since its opening in 1998. The one-of-a-kind venue will open new opportunities for cross-genre collaborations and allow the Symphony to continue to boldly push boundaries and engage new audiences. Programming for Octave 9 will be announced in November.