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Last Thursday, October 22nd, Sonora Collective teamed up with NYC's Norwood Club, an exclusive members-only arts and culture club, to present an evening of music. For many us, this was our first live performance since March of 2020!
A five-story brownstone townhouse built in 1847, The Norwood Club is located on 14th street in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. Members enjoy a variety of talks and events, food and beverage tastings, and screenings and performances. Curated paintings, sculptures, and other artwork are displayed throughout the club, and there is a beautiful secret walled garden in the back- the perfect setting for a socially distanced micro-event!
Our program began with Georg Phillipp Telemann's Canonic Sonata No. 1 for flute and violin. For those that are unfamiliar with the Canonic Sonatas- think Row Row Row Your Boat but a bit fancier. They are written as a single part with both musicians playing the same melody, but the harmony is created by the musicians playing one measure apart. To play up this polyphonic texture, we decide to perform the piece with Julia on the garden floor and me on the balcony.
Next up was Haydn's charming Divertissement No. 2, where Julia and I were joined by Jeremías Sergiani-Velázquez. If you aren't a stranger to my YouTube or Instagram, you will recognize Jeremías! It was his first time joining us for a live Sonora Collective program and we are so happy to have him join our roster! Originally from Córdoba, Argentina, Jeremías is currently a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and was recently named Principal Second Violin of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. You can learn more about him on his website here.
After the Haydn, Jeremías serenaded listeners with Argentine composer Ástor Piazzolla's Tango Etudes No. 3 & 4. Although these were originally written for flute, I must say that they work extremely well on the violin ;) (and it also might help that Jeremías comes from the birthplace of tango!!).
Next up, Sonora Collective's newest member, Clare Monfredo, took the floor. Clare has performed extensively across Europe and the U.S., and is currently a doctoral candidate at the City University of New York. Read more about Clare here on her Sonora Collective artist page. Clare performed Caroline Shaw's In manus tuas for solo cello, which is based on a 16th century motet by Thomas Tallis.
Julia brought us back into the 20th Century with the Allemande from Ysaÿe's Sonata No. 4. Belgium composer and violinist Eugène Ysaÿe wrote a set of six violin sonatas in 1923, each of which he dedicated to a specific violinist. The fourth sonata was dedicated to the infamous Fritz Kreisler.
Julia is Sonora's Artist Director and a fellow co-founding member. She and I met as High School students back in 2007 at the New York Summer Music Festival, but didn't reunite again until our time at Juilliard in 2014 as graduate students. I'm so glad that we were folder-sharing buddies in choir that summer and that we are able to continue to collaborate to this day! You can learn more about Julia and listen to her perform on her website here.
Our evening concluded with a solo piano segment by Mexican pianist Santiago Lomelin, another familiar name and face if you aren't a stranger to my social media! Santiago is a close friend and an amazing pianist. Like Jeremías and Clare, this was his first live Sonora Collective collaboration, and we are so pleased that he was able to join us at Norwood. Santiago brought to life Alberto Ginastera's Danzas Argentinas and Manuel de Falla's Danza español and Danza ritual del fuego.
After the performance, we were able to get a quick tour of the club and take some group photos. There are so many beautiful rooms at Norwood, and we can't wait until we can return and make music in them.
Julia and I couldn't resist taking some glamorous girlboss shots - only missing our third co-founding member and Executive Director, Amy, who is currently in New Zealand! We can't wait to be reunited again hopefully soon.
Thank you so much to the fabulous Norwood Club for having us, and to our incredible photographer, Billy Pangaribuan! It was so surreal to be able to perform for a live audience again after so many long months, and I know that we each cherished every moment of the night. It was so wonderful to feel alive and vibrant again, if only for the evening. You can see more photos of the evening on our website, and be sure to follow us on Instagram, @sonoracollective.
I hope you all are doing well and hanging in there!
Until next time,
Sonora Collective is a musicians collective located in New York City that works with contemporary artists to produce unique classical chamber music concerts in art galleries and other special venues in NYC. Sonora Collective creates custom concert programs that complement the performance space and also works closely with living composers to create new music works inspired by visual art. The prize-winning musicians on our roster have appeared on world-class stages around the world, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and include members of the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Sonora Collective was founded in 2020 by clarinetist Amy Wang, violinist Julia Danitz, and flutist Katie Althen. For booking, please contact hello@sonoracollective.org