Palisades Virtuosi Performs Climate Concern Concert March 29

Palisades Virtuosi (flutist Margaret Swinchoski, clarinetist Donald Mokrynski, and pianist Ron Levy) will be featuring music that brings awareness to climate concerns at its exciting spring 2020 concert on Sunday, March 29. Performed at the Hackensack Performing Arts Center (HACPAC), "Global Warning” calls attention the environmental issues we face today and also celebrates the beauty of our natural world.

A special feature of the program will be the World Premiere of of a newly commissioned work "Harness the Winds” by world-renowned bassist and composer Rufus Reid. He is one of the premiere bassists on the international jazz scene, an exceptional educator, and composer who has written for string orchestra, jazz ensembles large and small, concert band, double bass ensemble pieces and solo bass compositions. Reid has been the recipient of numerous commissions, grants, and awards for his works.

Reid explains how his music depicts the need to harness the vast natural energy of winds. The title ”Harness the Winds" refers not only to the natural forces, but also the flute & clarinet. He said, “The piece begins in a rather wild frenetic uncontrolled way. As each of the sections transition and the individual instruments begin to interact as one, the winds become more controllable and usable.”

Other works performed deal with animals that are suffering from possible extinction including Johann Strauss, Jr.’s “Die Fledermaus (The Bat)”, Godfrey Schroth’s “Aye-Aye” from his suite titled “Endangered Species”, Kristofer Spike’s Elegy (for a dying planet).

Adrienne Albert’s piece “Global Warming” has four movements titled “Ice Melting, Windmills, Temperature Rising, Spring Fever”. Donald Draganski’s “Trio From Rio” is a musical reminder that the jungle canopies above the rainforests are being destroyed.

Palisades Virtuosi, now in its 17th season, commissions works from both established and young composers in order to present audiences with original, exciting contemporary music. Founded in 2002 by three friends who loved to make music together, they soon found that there were few existing pieces for flute, clarinet and piano and so began commissioning new works written specifically for their instrumental configuration.

This became their “Mission to Commission”®, "All of our concerts include a new work written especially for our group," Swinchoski explains, "Over the years, almost 90 unique pieces have been added to our concert repertoire." Levy continued, "We feel that it is important to commission fresh voices not commonly heard in traditional concerts and to promote them to the public."

Palisades Virtuosi’s "Global Warning” concert will take place at the Hackensack Performing Arts Center (HACPAC), This beautiful new facility, at 102 State Street, Hackensack, NJ brings top quality entertainment, innovative programming, nurtures new artists, and has convenient public parking.

The concert starts at 3 pm, with a preconcert talk by musicians and composer at 2:15 and includes a post concert reception. Tickets range in price from $15-$25 and are available at https://www.hacpac.org/event/palisades-virtuosi-rufus-reid/. For videos and more information please visit the website http://www.palisadesvirtuosi.org.