SEATTLE SYMPHONY BRINGS COMMUNITY PARTNERS AND LOCAL COMPOSERS TO THE DIGITAL STAGE IN ONLINE BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL FOR COMPOSER’S 250th BIRTHDAY
Though the orchestra cannot gather at Benaroya Hall, the Seattle Symphony invites the public to join in the celebration of Beethoven’s legacy and partake in Digital Beethoven Fest's free online events and performances throughout the week of June 22, 2020. Photo by Brandon Patoc.
DIGITAL BEETHOVEN FEST FEATURES SPECIAL PERFORMANCES AND HOSTED PANEL DISCUSSIONS THROUGHOUT THE WEEK OF JUNE 22, 2020, IN ADDITION TO REGULAR BROADCASTS
Seattle, WA – On June 22, the Seattle Symphony kicks off Digital Beethoven Fest in a week-long celebration to commemorate Beethoven’s 250th birthday. The online festival features hosted panel discussions by Symphony musicians and staff with local artists and composers in addition to special performances throughout the week. Before Benaroya Hall’s closure due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Symphony’s Beethoven Festival was originally planned as a major feature of the 2019–2020 season, with four commissioned compositions to have their world premieres alongside performances of all nine Beethoven symphonies. Though the originally scheduled concerts cannot proceed at this time, the Seattle Symphony invites the public to partake in free online events and performances.
Throughout the season, Music Director Thomas Dausgaard and the Seattle Symphony have been working in close collaboration with valued partners — the Seattle Symphony Community Youth Chorus, local Native American communities, and Northwest Center and Best Buddies — to bring community members onstage as artists, composers and performers. In recent years, the Symphony has curated community-driven artistic projects to amplify the voices and stories of marginalized populations (past collaborations include Prism Project with youth from Accelerator YMCA; Lost and Found with Path with Art; We Are the Art with Plymouth Housing Group; and Lullaby Project in partnership with Mary’s Place).
Of the four commissioned works that were to premiere during the original Beethoven Festival, three are Community Compositions created in partnership with local composers Angelique Poteat, Janice Giteck and Charles Corey, alongside high school vocal students, members from local Native American communities, and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Angelique Poteat and the Seattle Symphony Community Youth Chorus completed a new piece, Dear Humanity for Youth Chorus & Orchestra, through a series of workshops with students aged 14–18. Janice Giteck, in partnership with Native American artists Swil Kanim and Paul Chiyokten Wagner, completed a new piece, Potlatch Symphony 2020, through a series of collaborative cultural exchanges. Charles Corey and clients of Northwest Center and Best Buddies partnered to compose a new work, Together, This Journey. The fourth commission features a collaboration between the Symphony’s Composer in Residence Tyshawn Sorey and Artist in Residence Seth Parker Woods in a new work for cello and orchestra by Sorey titled For Roscoe Mitchell.
While the orchestra cannot gather as originally planned, the artists and community partners will join virtually to share in music and conversation exploring Beethoven’s legacy and continued relevance in the present day. Three panel discussions will be hosted by Seattle Symphony Vice President of Artistic Planning Raff Wilson.
On Monday, June 22, at 2 p.m. PDT, Music Director Thomas Dausgaard opens Digital Beethoven Fest by introducing audiences to background on the festival, ongoing community partnerships, and Community Composition projects. Native American musician, storyteller and activist Paul Chiyokten Wagner, who is a collaborator on Potlatch Symphony 2020, will join Dausgaard in conversation around culture, place and shared humanist values at the core of Beethoven and local Native American narratives.
On Wednesday, June 24, at 2 p.m. PDT, composer Angelique Poteat and Community Youth Chorus Director Megan McCormick will lead a discussion on Dear Humanity, the new work composed by Poteat and the chorus. Dear Humanity focuses on climate change and its effects on youth today. Christine Siegert, Beethoven scholar and Publishing Director at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Germany, will also join the conversation to share her expertise.
On Friday, June 26, at 2 p.m. PDT, composer Charles Corey and Seattle Symphony Principal Oboe Mary Lynch join to discuss Together, This Journey, the composition written by Corey in collaboration with clients of Northwest Center and Best Buddies. Lynch, who has worked with the program this season along with fellow musicians, will share her personal experience of her Best Buddies partnership. The conversation will explore how Beethoven challenged the traditional role of the composer and how Together, This Journey challenges the idea of who gets to be a composer today.
All panel discussions will be available through the Seattle Symphony’s YouTube channel. In addition, the Symphony will share special performances by members of the orchestra and Beethoven Festival partner artists throughout the week. The Seattle Symphony’s Digital Beethoven Fest is presented in partnership with Goethe Pop Up Seattle. Community Compositions are supported by a generous grant from the American Orchestras' Futures Fund, a program of the League of American Orchestras made possible by funding from the Ann & Gordon Getty Foundation. Community Compositions are also presented as part of the Seattle Symphony’s New Music WORKS initiative, which is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. New Music WORKS features commissions, concerts and educational activities that use composition as a catalyst for collaboration and engagement in music.
Digital Beethoven Fest brings special online events to audiences in addition to the Symphony’s regular broadcast lineup. As our community confronts the current global health crisis, the Seattle Symphony will continue sharing performances that provide strength, comfort and joy through video rebroadcasts and livestreams until the orchestra can return to the Benaroya Hall stage. The weekly schedule is available at seattlesymphony.org/live.
Inspired by the orchestra’s dedication to serving the community, more than 6,000 people have stepped forward with a donation since the closure of Benaroya Hall. These funds support the Seattle Symphony Future Fund, providing critical resources to ensure a bright future for symphonic music in our community. To learn more about how to support the Seattle Symphony or to make a donation, visit seattlesymphony.org/give. The Seattle Symphony looks forward to welcoming audiences back to Benaroya Hall again very soon and wishes everyone health and comfort in the coming weeks.
SEATTLE SYMPHONY
Led by Music Director Thomas Dausgaard, the Seattle Symphony unleashes the power of music, brings people together and lifts the human spirit. Recognized as one of the “most vital American orchestras” (NPR), the Seattle Symphony is internationally acclaimed for its inventive programming, community-minded initiatives and superb recordings on the Seattle Symphony Media label. With a strong commitment to new music and a legacy of over 150 recordings, the orchestra has garnered five Grammy Awards, 26 Grammy nominations, two Emmy Awards and was named Gramophone’s 2018 Orchestra of the Year. The Symphony performs in Benaroya Hall in the heart of downtown Seattle from September through July, reaching over 500,000 people annually through live performances and radio broadcasts.
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THOMAS DAUSGAARD & PAUL CHIYOKTEN WAGNER
DIGITAL BEETHOVEN FEST
Monday, June 22, at 2 p.m.
Raff Wilson, host
Thomas Dausgaard, speaker
Paul Chiyokten Wagner, speaker
Music Director Thomas Dausgaard introduces audiences to background on the festival, ongoing community partnerships and community composition projects. Native American musician, storyteller and activist Paul Chiyokten Wagner, who worked on Potlatch Symphony 2020, joins Dausgaard in conversation around culture, place and shared humanist values at the core of Beethoven and local Native American narratives. Hosted by Seattle Symphony Vice President of Artistic Planning Raff Wilson.
The hosted panel discussion will be available through the Seattle Symphony’s YouTube channel.
The Seattle Symphony Beethoven Festival is presented in partnership with Goethe Pop Up Seattle. Additional support provided by Scan|Design Foundation by Inger and Jens Bruun.
ANGELIQUE POTEAT, MEGAN MCCORMICK & CHRISTINE SIEGERT
DIGITAL BEETHOVEN FEST
Wednesday, June 24, at 2 p.m.
Raff Wilson, host
Angelique Poteat, speaker
Megan McCormick, speaker
Christine Siegert, speaker
Composer Angelique Poteat and Seattle Symphony Community Youth Chorus Director Megan McCormick share a discussion on Dear Humanity, the piece created through a collaboration between Poteat and the Community Youth Chorus. Christine Siegert, Beethoven scholar and Publishing Director at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Germany, will also join the conversation to share her expertise. Hosted by Seattle Symphony Vice President of Artistic Planning Raff Wilson.
The hosted panel discussion will be available through the Seattle Symphony’s YouTube channel.
The Seattle Symphony Beethoven Festival is presented in partnership with Goethe Pop Up Seattle. Additional support provided by Scan|Design Foundation by Inger and Jens Bruun.
CHARLES COREY & MARY LYNCH
DIGITAL BEETHOVEN FEST
Friday, June 26, at 2 p.m.
Raff Wilson, host
Charles Corey, speaker
Mary Lynch, speaker
Composer Charles Corey and Seattle Symphony Principal Oboe Mary Lynch discuss Together, This Journey, the composition written by Corey in collaboration with clients of Northwest Center and Best Buddies. Lynch shares her personal experience of this partnership. Hosted by Seattle Symphony Vice President of Artistic Planning Raff Wilson.
The hosted panel discussion will be available through the Seattle Symphony’s YouTube channel.
The Seattle Symphony Beethoven Festival is presented in partnership with Goethe Pop Up Seattle. Additional support provided by Scan|Design Foundation by Inger and Jens Bruun.