The Sembrich: Virtual Visionaries Online Summer Festival with “Quiet City: A Reverie for New York in the Time of COVID-19”

BOLTON LANDING — The Sembrich continues its 20/20: Virtual Visionaries summer festival with “Quiet City: A Reverie for New York in the time of COVID-19.” This new presentation, celebrating the persistent and strong spirit of New York, is highlighted with a new essay by music critic and scholar Thomas Larson and Aaron Copland’s iconic work Quiet City featuring trumpet player Chris Coletti and members of The Philadelphia Orchestra. 

“We wanted something special to mark this time – a token for this unprecedented summer of COVID-19. Copland’s Quiet City seemed a natural choice, the evocative title taking on an added resonance during this time. To be able to realize this idea with such phenomenal musicians has been a real pleasure! Larson’s new essay, entitled Quieted America, has made this project even more rewarding. It’s been thirty years now since I first arrived at The Sembrich and this is one the projects that I’m most proud of,” Artistic Director Richard Wargo said in a statement.

Thomas Larson is an acclaimed journalist, book/music critic, and memoirist known for his books The Saddest Music Ever Written: The Story of Samuel Barber’s ‘Adagio for Strings’ (Pegasus Press) and Spirituality and the Writer: A Personal Inquiry (Swallow Press). He has presented several lectures at The Sembrich in recent years.

Internationally acclaimed trumpeter Chris Coletti is a soloist, chamber music and orchestral musician.  Famous for his work with Canadian Brass (2009-2019), Coletti is also Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Ithaca College School of Music. 

This is the final presentation in The Sembrich’s 20/20: Virtual Visionaries summer festival and its four-part Alfred Z. Solomon Innovator Series. This project and performance are made possible through generous support from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust. The Sembrich is located at 4800 Lake Shore Drive, Bolton Landing.  To view this presentation, visit TheSembrich.org/online/copland.