Synergy Series
Synergy is the interaction of two or more things to produce an effect greater than the sum of its part. For SummerFest 2021 we are excited to show you how beautifully chamber music combines with gospel, film, jazz, and visual art. Every time you enter The Conrad to experience the Synergy Initiative, you will be entering a unique space where the boundaries between art forms are shattered and replaced with rare pairings that will give you a fresh perspective on what live performance can be.
Conceived of and produced by Inon Barnatan and Clara Wu Tsai
Synergy I:
Goin’ Home
Spirituals and the Music They Inspire
Saturday, July 31, 2021 • 7:30 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
A one-of-a-kind event featuring spirituals, old and new, sung by sensational gospel quartet Kings Return, interwoven with string works by Wynton Marsalis, Florence Price, Harry Burleigh, and Antonin Dvorak performed by an all-star cast of string players. After the performance Kings Return will perform a postlude in the Wu Tsai QRT.yrd.
DVORÁK · Goin’ Home (arr. Barnatan)
WILLIS · Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
SPIRITUAL · Go Down Moses
PRICE · Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
TRADITIONAL · Shenandoah
SPIRITUAL · Motherless Child
DVORÁK · “American” String Quintet
TAYLOR · I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free
SPIRITUAL · Joshua fit the battle of Jericho
BURLEIGH · An Ante-Bellum Sermon
WYNTON MARSALIS · Many Gone
LOWRY · Shall We Gather At The River?
SPIRITUAL · Goin’ Home
DVORÁK · “American” String Quintet
Synergy II:
Idealized Landscapes
Music and Film
Saturday, August 7, 2021 • 7:30 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Composers, photographers, performers, and filmmakers collaborate to capture the American landscape. Featuring Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite and music by Charles Ives, Caroline Shaw, John Williams, and Gabriela Lena Frank.
IVES · The Unanswered Question
(Film by Ethan Bensdorf)
CAROLINE SHAW · Plan & Elevation: The Grounds of Dumbarton Oaks
(Film by Tristan Cook)
GABRIELA LENA FRANK · Contested Eden WORLD PREMIÈRE
(Film featuring Molly Katzman & Co.)
I N T E R M I S S I O N
JOHN WILLIAMS · Air and Simple Gifts
COPLAND · Appalachian Spring Suite
Synergy III:
Rhapsodies in Blues
Jazz and Classical Converge
Sunday, August 8, 2021 • 3:00 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
An enthralling afternoon blurring the lines between Jazz and Classical. Featuring Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, plus works by Ravel, Bernstein, Williams, and more.
RAVEL · Blues
SCHULLER · Suite for Wind Quintet
MILHAUD · La création du monde
WILLIAMS · Zodiac Suite
BERNSTEIN · Riffs for Clarinet, Piano, Bass, and Drums
GERSHWIN · Rhapsody in Blue
Synergy IV:
Grand Duos
Music and Interactive Art
Thursday, August 19, 2021 • 7:30 PM
The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
An extraordinarily unique concert featuring a genre-bending world première by trailblazing Israeli-American composer Tamar Muskal: a concerto for percussionist Steven Schick, chamber ensemble, and computer-animated wooden mirror by artist Daniel Rozin, plus more by Mozart and Chausson.
MOZART · Grande Sestetto Concertante in E-flat Major
TAMAR MUSKAL · Facing the Automaton
WORLD PREMIERE
CHAUSSON · Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet