SARATOGA SPRINGS – The final concert of the academic year by the Skidmore College Orchestra will feature a distinctive musical moment: the world premiere of a composition written by internationally acclaimed guitarist James Emery for his daughter Hannah and featuring the two of them as soloists.
They will make their public debut playing together in at the concert, which is scheduled at 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, in the Arthur Zankel Music Center on the Skidmore campus.
The Emery’s performance of Double Concerto for Guitar, Clarinet and Orchestra will feature James Emery on guitar, and Hannah Emery, a Skidmore senior, on clarinet. This is thought to be the first instance in which the parent is also the composer of the work.
James Emery wrote the piece for his daughter. He explained, “What sets the Double Concerto apart from my other large-scale works is I can play alongside her supported by an orchestra of her peers and friends, led by one of her teachers, Anthony Holland, associate professor of composition and conductor of the Skidmore College Orchestra.”
Hannah Emery entered Skidmore as a Filene music scholar in 2010 and completed her junior year in Paris.
The Double Concerto, Emery’s third piece for orchestra, was commissioned by Skidmore’s Music Department.
James Emery has been active at the forefront of the international jazz and contemporary music scenes since 1975. He has written more than 100 compositions ranging from solo guitar and chamber music to symphonic pieces.
The April 27 program also will include a performance of the orchestral masterpiece by Mussorgsky/Ravel, “Pictures at an Exhibition.”
Tickets for the concert are $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens/Skidmore community, and free for students and children. For advance reservations visit skidmore.edu/zankel or call the Zankel box office (518) 580-5321. Skidmore’s Arthur Zankel Music Center is wheelchair accessible and offers listening devices for the hearing impaired.
