Seattle Modern Orchestra (SMO) completes its third annual residency at the UW with a 70th birthday celebration of UW Composition Professor and School of Music Director Joël-François Durand. SMO presents an evening of world premieres, conducted by UW alum Julia Tai, with works written in tribute to Durand by his former students Byron Au Yong, Jeff Bowen, Yiğit Kolat, Eric Flesher, and Ryan Hare, plus a world premiere by graduate student composer Yonatan Ron.
Artist Biography
Seattle Modern Orchestra
Founded in 2010, Seattle Modern Orchestra (SMO) is the only large ensemble in the Pacific Northwest solely dedicated to the music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Led by co-artistic directors Julia Tai and Bonnie Whiting, SMO commissions and premieres new works from an international lineup of composers, in addition to presenting important pieces from the contemporary repertoire that are rarely if ever heard by Seattle audiences. The ensemble “operates at that exciting cusp between old and new, between tradition and innovation” (Vanguard Seattle) curating new sounds and experiences for concert goers in the region.
SMO provides audiences with performances of the best in contemporary chamber and orchestral music, and develops podcasts, lectures, educational residencies, and other forms of community engagement in an accessible and inviting format all designed to expand the listener’s appreciation and awareness of the music of today.