MARCH · WONDER
Original · Groundbreaking · New
Join PH on a tour de force with the dynamic trio of flute, harp, and viola. Representing the sonic possibilities of a chamber orchestra distilled into just three instruments, time travel with us through a century of compositional development and hear how three very different composers paint with the same palette.
Original · Drawing upon a romantic sensibility, Dubois Terzettino is the first work written for this instrumentation in 1905.
Groundbreaking · Just a decade later, Debussy premieres his Sonata, which leaps into modern sonorities, fully exploiting the color, range, and sonic possibilities of each instrument.
New · World-premier of Suite, written by California-based composer Jeff Ives.
Kate Steinbeck flute · Jessica Schaeffer harp · Daphne Bickley viola
APRIL · GRIEF leads to GRATITUDE
The centerpiece of this very special, very intimate program is the world-premier of Asheville-based composer Carolina Perez’s Song Cycle: A Mother’s Grief Journey After Stillbirth.
Drawing from her own experience of losing her daughter, Matilda, Carolina Perez has created a deeply intimate song cycle that captures the complex emotions of a mother’s grief after stillbirth. Through ten songs, the cycle moves from the initial shock to the evolving manifestations of grief and the search for meaning after loss.
Beginning with the moment of death (What Does Death Sound Like?), the songs trace the mother’s journey as she returns to an empty home (You in Heaven), imagines the lingering presence of her child (Little Ghost Child), and expresses profound longing (Matilda, My Daughter). The cycle culminates in the realization that love and memory allow her child to live on (Mommy, Use Your Voice).
Blending contemporary songwriting with classical instrumentation, the music is brought to life by Pan Harmonia’s chamber musicians. Inspired by the simplicity and tenderness of lullabies, the arrangements create a soundscape where sorrow, beauty, and hope coexist. Deeply personal yet universally resonant, the music invites listeners to sit with grief, embrace its depth, and find solace in shared understanding.
This song cycle offers a rare space for reflection on a grief often left unspoken. By giving voice to an experience largely absent from public discourse, this work seeks to foster awareness, understanding, and healing.
Krista Tortora voice · Kate Steinbeck flute · Rosalind Buda bassoon · Jessica Schaeffer harp · Daphne Waggener violin · Daphne Bickely viola ·Patrick O’Neil cello ·
MAY · JOY
John Marson’s Suite for Flute and Harp delight the senses (with tantalizing movements like Spring Blooms and Strawberries and Cream). William Alwyn’s Naiades dance in delicate harmonic interplay and we reach for the sublime with Adoration by African-American composer Florence Price. These and more favorites of the performers bring a smile to the face and joy to the heart!
Kate Steinbeck flute · Jessica Schaeffer harp