Ravinia 2022, Issue 6

ERIN BAIANO (C. JACOBSEN) COLIN JACOBSEN, violin, artistic director Violinist and composer Colin Jacobsen draws on a variety of influences across his musical activities, earning such bonafides as a 2003 Avery Fisher Career Grant and being named among the top 100 composers under 40 by NPR listeners. Regularly a guest artist with the Silk Road Ensemble, he is a founding member of two game-changing, audience-ex- panding ensembles of his own—the string quartet Brooklyn Rider and orchestra The Knights. From his work with those ensem- bles, Jacobsen was selected from among the nation’s top visual, performing, media, and literary artists to receive a substantial United States Artists Fellowship. His work as a com- poser developed as a natural outgrowth of his chamber and orchestral collaborations, in- spired by encounters with leading exponents of non-Western classical traditions and by his own classical heritage. Jacobsen collaborated with Iran’s Siamak Aghaei to write a Persian folk-inflected composition, Ascending Bird , which he performed as soloist with the You- Tube Symphony Orchestra at the Sydney Opera House in a concert that was streamed live by millions of viewers worldwide. His work for dance and theater includes music for Compagnia de’ Colombari’s theatrical production of Walt Whitman’s Song of My- self . As a violin soloist, Jacobsen has collab- orated with such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic and San Francisco Symphony, and has premiered concertos by Kevin Bea- vers and Lisa Bielawa. He has also performed with such prominent artists as Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis, Yo-Yo Ma, Chris- tian Tetzlaff, Mitsuko Uchida, and composer Tan Dun, with whom he toured China. His numerous summer festival engagements in- clude Caramoor, Marlboro, Mostly Mozart, Moritzburg, Ravinia, Salzburg, and Tangle- wood, as well as Taiwan’s National Concert Hall. A graduate of The Juilliard School and the Royal Conservatory of the Hague, as well as a 1994 and 1995 alumnus of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Jacobsen counts Doris Rothenberg, Louise Behrend, Robert Mann, and Vera Beths among his principal teachers. PAVILION 8:00 PM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO LINDA-DENISE FISHER-HARRELL, artistic director DAVID McDERMOTT, executive director LOU CONTE, founder As the Wind Blows Choreography: Amy Hall Garner Costume Design: Nathan Rohrer • Lighting Design: Harrison Pearse Burke Music: Syrinx , L. 129, by Claude Debussy, performed by Laura Nashman • Technology—Versus Beatless Versions by Carl Craig, performed by Carl Craig, Francesco Tristano, François-Xavier Roth, Les Siècles • Four Piano Blues: III. For William Kapell by Aaron Copland, performed by Mark Anderson • A Soft Shell Groove by Francesco Tristano, performed by Alice Sara Ott, Francesco Tristano, produced by Friedemann Engelbrecht –Intermission– Little Rhapsodies Choreography & Costume Design: Lar Lubovitch Staging: Jonathan E. Alsberry • Lighting Design: Jack Mehler* Music: Symphonic Etudes , op. 13, by Robert Schumann. • Piano: Greg Smith –Short Pause– Ne Me Quitte Pas Choreography & Costume Design: Spenser Theberge Lighting Design: Harrison Pearse Burke Music: Ne Me Quitte Pas by Jacques Brel, performed by Nina Simone. Produced by Hal Mooney. –Intermission– BUSK Choreography & Direction: Aszure Barton Staging: Jonathan E. Alsberry • Costume Design: Michelle Jank Lighting & Stage Design: Nicole Pearce* Musical Arrangement & Editing: Aszure Barton with Jonathan E. Alsberry Music: Euridice composed by V. de Moraes, performed by Slava Grigoryan, courtesy of SME Australia Pty Ltd., by arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment (Canada), published by Universal Music Publishing Canada on behalf of Universal Music Corp • Ett Bondbrollop composed by August Soderman, performed by Orphei Drangär & Eric Ericson, performed with kind permission by BIS Records, Sweden • Plume composed and performed by Ljova • Queen Elizabeth Whistle composed and performed by Moondog, courtesy of Concord; these selections are used by special arrangement with Concord Music Group, Incl, on behalf of Prestige Music • All is Loneliness composed and performed by Moondog, courtesy of Concord; these selections are used by special arrangement with Concord Music Group, Incl, on behalf of Prestige Music • Amusements composed and performed by Daniel Belanger, (p) 2007 Daniel Bélanger (exclusive license to Audiogram) • Love Potion Expired composed by Ljova, performed by Ljova and the Kontraband • Saltarelle composed by Camille Saint-Saëns, performed by Orphei Drangär & Eric Ericson, performed with kind permission by BIS Records, Sweden • Kung Liljekonvalje composed by David Wikander, performed by Orphei Drangär & Eric Ericson, performed with kind permission by BIS Records, Sweden ©Nordiska Musikförlaget/2007 Gerhrmans Musikförlag AB. Originally created by Aszure Barton & Artists, BUSK was conceived at The Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara during a residency hosted by Dianne Vapnek’s DANCEworks. The work was further developed in residency at The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. BUSK was made possible by generous support from DANCEworks, The Banff Centre for Arts, and the Ringling International Arts Festival, John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in association with the Baryshnikov Arts Center. Additional support also provided by White Oak Conservation Center, the Howard Gilman Foundation, and The Canada Council for the Arts. BUSK , in its original form, is a full evening length work. Official premiere: Aszure Barton & Artists, October 8, 2009, Ringling International Arts Festival. * United Scenic Artists, Local USA 829 of the IATSE is the union representing scenic, costume, lighting, sound, and projection designers in live performance This performance is part of The Ruth Page Festival of Dance , an annual series of dance performances presented by Ravinia in collaboration with The Ruth Page Foundation and honoring one of Chicago’s most celebrated dancers of all time. RUTH PAGE FESTIVAL OF DANCE “To the history of dance, she left several chapters of innovation. … And to the world of dance, she left a legend.” —Ann Barzel, dance critic “Among our most American icons is this pioneer woman dedicatedly scanning the distant frontier.” —John Martin, New York Times For many, Ruth Page (1899–1991) and Chicago dance are synonymous. A legendary prima ballerina and innovative choreographer, she established a record of being an American dance pioneer by creating at the forefront of social, political, and artistic issues. She was also the first American guest ballet soloist with the Metropolitan Opera, and she brought world-class dance to Chicago’s stages as Ballet Director of the Chicago Opera Ballet, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Ravinia Opera. In 1971, having already established herself as an internationally acclaimed dancer, choreographer, and arts patron, Ruth Page created a performing arts center and school of dance where artistic excellence could thrive. The Ruth Page Center for the Arts stands today as an example of how far her legacy has grown. An enduring part of that legacy is the long- standing artistic relationship between the Ravinia Festival and The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, which helps ensure that dance is represented as part of Ravinia’s annual programming through the Ruth Page Festival of Dance. This year, The Ruth Page Center continues its 50th anniversary celebration with world-premiere performances that are fresh examinations of its founder and her extraordinary artistic vision and that highlight the unique artistic collaborations of this Chicago cultural institution and the next generation of extraordinary dance artists. To learn more about The Ruth Page Center for the Arts’ programs and initiatives, please visit www.ruthpage.org . RAVINIA.ORG • RAVINIA MAGAZINE 43