By Martin Barrett
Northwest Symphony Orchestra, a Burien Gem, is performing its last concert of the year on April 28 at Benaroya Hall at 7:30 p.m. This concert features Lobgesang by Felix Mendelssohn. It is a dramatic work for both Orchestra and Choir. This concert will feature a partnership with ChoralSounds Northwest, SPU Choirs, and the West Side Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir. You may preview the Mendelssohn piece here.
Northwest Symphony Orchestra Music Director Anthony Spain wanted the concert to be a celebration.
“With all we have been through with COVID over the last few years, and with current world events, the question was: What then would be an appropriate piece?” Spain said. “Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise) by Mendelssohn immediately came to mind, as it has one of the most powerful ’emerging-out-of-darkness-and-into-light’ moments in all of music.”
True to the NWSO’s core value of helping emerging composers, the concert will also feature a world premiere of Fantasia in D Minor, “A Psalm For The Voiceless” by Joshua Idio.
Joshua Alexander Idio (b. 1995) is a Filipino-American composer, educator, conductor, and trumpeter from New Jersey. The Seattle Pacific University Orchestra will perform the premiere. “We are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the SPU School of Music, and this premiere is a great way to honor what began in Seattle 100 years ago,” said Dr. Spain.
The NWO was founded by Anthony Spain in 1987 while working on his Doctorate at the University of Washington. “I had a number of contacts locally, and, as is common with young conductors, I began to put together performances with the musicians I knew- this then quickly evolved into the Northwest Symphony Orchestra.” There is an unmistakable joy in Dr. Spain’s voice as he shares his story and experiences with NWSO. “I especially enjoy the relationship with the community and the people in this area,” said Dr. Spain.
Tickets are available through Benaroya Hall. Please come, enjoy, and support our local artists!
