We will gather in larger numbers for a thrilling program. We open with the Phantasy Quartet by English composer Imogen Holst, the daughter of Gustav Holst. This composition, pastoral in nature, was awarded the Cobbett Prize in 1928. Our program is named after our next offering: Thirty Thousand Days for clarinet and string quartet by the young American composer, Chris Rogerson. Chris, whose father was a statistician, explains his father’s desire to measure life’s progress by 10,000 day increments. In Chris’ words, “When my sister and I reached our 10,000th days soon after turning 27, he excitedly called to make sure we knew the milestone we had reached. With a sharp memory he recounted stories of his own 10,000th and 20,000th days. While we were amused by his enthusiasm for this seemingly random day, I came to realize the value of looking at life from a broader perspective. Thirty Thousand Days explores this idea of life’s three stages. In the first movement, I try to evoke the joy, innocence, and sweetness of youth. The second movement depicts struggle, coldness, and fury. Finally, the last movement imagines acceptance, resignation, loss, and love.” We then close the concert and the season with the ravishingly beautiful and singular String Quartet in G minor, Opus 27 by Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg.

Thirty Thousand Days

Phantasy Quartet (for string quartet) – Imogen Holst
Thirty Thousand Days (for clarinet and string quartet) – Chris Rogerson
String Quartet, Opus 27 – Edvard Grieg
Artists:

Siwoo Kim – violin
Gabriel Campos Zamora – Clarinet
Anna Lee – violin
Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt – viola
Michelle Djokic – cello