Live at the Good Shepherd Center (Seattle)
7:30-9:30pm, $10-20 at the door (cash or card)
Proof of vaccination + masking required for all
A live performance celebrating the release of "the ink around it," saxophonist/composer Neil Welch's new concept album. Featuring 2 long-form pieces, including "Puhpohwee" for solo saxophone and "Concepción Picciotto" for an 11 member ensemble, tonight's music will explore the vibrant, lush abundance of the natural world and the human interference within the biodiversity that threatens our one, beautiful earth-home.
Covid safety protocols to ensure a fun and safe experience for all:
1. Vaccination requirement for all performers and concertgoers. Please show proof of Covid-19 vaccination at the door (vaccine card, photocopy or phone picture).
2. Pod seating, with chairs spread out at least 3 feel between pods / individuals.
3. Masks required for concert attendees and performers (excluding performers that cannot wear a mask while playing)
4. Performers safely distanced on stage
ABOUT THE MUSIC:
The release of "the ink around it" celebrates Neil Welch's first personal album since 2014, with 3 unique performances tonight:
7:30pm NAT EVANS to open
Composer Nat Evans will debut an ambient, resonant piece to fill the room, created specifically for tonight's event.
8:00pm NEIL WELCH performs "Puhpowee" for solo, tenor saxophone.
This unique composition utilizes split tone multiphonic reverberations, singing through the horn, pre-notated and flexible material to be improvised on the spot. From Neil: "I tried to take a listener through my sonic interpretation of the fungi bursting forth, spreading their spores, living and dying. The word comes from the Potawatomi Native American language, and translates as “the force which causes mushrooms to push up from the earth overnight.”
8:30 Concepción Picciotto 11 piece ensemble
Marcin Paczkowski - conductor
Danielle Reutter-Harrah, mezzo-soprano voice and soloist
Kate Olson, soprano sax
Jacob Zimmerman - alto sax
Neil Welch - tenor sax / soloist
Peter Daniel - baritone sax
Janna Webbon, violin
Heather Bentley, viola
Ebony Miranda, cello
Abbey Blackwell, bass
Christopher Icasiano, drums and cymbals
From composer and soloist Neil Welch:
"This work is titled, composed and dedicated to the activist Concepción Picciotto, a homeless peace activist that lived on the street in front of the White House from 1981-2016. She held what is thought to be the longest continuous protest in world history, working to help raise awareness of endless US driven wars, with a particular focus on nuclear disarmament. My composition is a 25 minute long work scored for saxophone section, string quartet, rhythm section and mezzo soprano vocal. It is a work exploring myriad territory, from ethereal soundscapes to driving jazz rhythms, percussive undulations and more. It was inspired by her life and written in her memory."
"The album title 'the ink around it' seemed fitting to me--the words express the human drive to create permanent markings in a world where the vast majority of us humans are in constant conflict within the environment we completely depend on."