Chamber group Frequency—violinists Michael Jinsoo Lim and Jennifer Caine Provine, violist Melia Watras, and cellist Sarah Rommel—performs works by Sergei Prokofiev, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges, Benjamin Britten, Felix Mendelssohn, Kaija Saariaho, and the world premiere of a new work by Melia Watras in this exploration of the musical form of theme and variations.
Program
Tema con variazioni from Sonata for Solo Violin in D major, Opus 115: Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)
Sonata for Two Violins in A major: Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint Georges (1745-1799)
I. Quarter note = 120
II. Aria con variazioni
Aure (2011) for violin and cello: Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023)
Tema con variazioni for String Quartet in E major, Op. 81, No. 1: Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
Mnemosyne’s breath for string quartet (2023): Melia Watras (b. 1969)
Chacony from String Quartet No. 2 in C major, Op. 36 (1945): Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Frequency
A “dream” ensemble, according to King FM-Seattle’s Second Inversion, Frequency presents innovative, invigorating and intriguing chamber music concerts. Composed of violinists Michael Jinsoo Lim and Jennifer Caine Provine (who share the front violin desk of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra as Concertmaster and Associate Concertmaster) and violist Melia Watras and cellist Sarah Rommel (who are on the faculty of the University of Washington School of Music), Frequency is a modular chamber music group, breaking into different parts to present solos, duos and trios, while also expanding with renowned guest artists to perform in a variety of formations. Frequency members have performed as soloists and chamber musicians worldwide, in leading concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall, La Seine Musicale, and Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
Michael Jinsoo Lim
Violinist Michael Jinsoo Lim has been praised by Gramophone for playing with “delicious abandon,” and hailed by the Los Angeles Times as a “conspicuously accomplished champion of contemporary music.” Concertmaster and solo violinist for the internationally acclaimed Pacific Northwest Ballet, Lim’s solo appearances with the company include performances in Paris, New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle, in concertos by Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Bach, Max Richter and others. Lim is the founder of the Seattle-based ensemble Frequency and was co-founder of the award-winning Corigliano Quartet, with whom he appeared on over a dozen albums, including the groups’s Naxos label CD which was honored as one of The New Yorker’s Ten Best Classical Recordings of the Year. His discography can be found on Naxos, Planet M, Sono Luminus, DreamWorks, Albany, Bridge, CRI, Bayer Records, RIAX and New Focus. Lim has served on the faculty of the Banff Centre, taught at Indiana University as a guest professor, and currently serves on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts.
Jennifer Caine Provine
Jennifer Caine Provine, violinist, is Associate Concertmaster of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra and violinist of the Volta Piano Trio, with whom she has performed extensively throughout the Northwest and abroad, been heard on national radio stations, and recorded three discs on the Con Brio label to critical acclaim. She also performs with Seattle-based chamber ensembles Frequency and Kokopelli, and has appeared on several chamber music series and at national and international summer music festivals. She was Assistant Director and Resident Violinist at the Icicle Creek Center for the Arts in Leavenworth, WA from 2007-2010. A recipient of several awards and grants, Jennifer has also written freelance reviews for Strings magazine’s In Print column. Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree from the Royal College of Music in London.