Music Academy Reveals 2024-25 MARIPOSA SERIES

The Music Academy of the West has announced the 2024-25 Mariposa Concert Series, a collection of concerts and experiences held in the intimate Hahn Hall, on the Music Academy's lush Miraflores campus. The series opens on Saturday, October 5 with "African Queens," celebrating the legacy of seven revered African Queens, featuring soprano Karen Slack and pianist Kevin miller.

The Mariposa Concert Series, which debuted in 2022, furthers the Music Academy of the West's mission to bring exceptional music to the community throughout the year.The series showcases the artistry of world-renowned musicians, including esteemed Music Academy alums, in unique musical experiences and events this fall through spring 2025. Featuring visionary artists, these performances offer fresh context and perspective on music spanning more than 700 years - from 1390 to 2025!

Each concert will include a pre-concert wine reception at 6:30 pm.
For more information, visit musicacademy.org/MARIPOSA.

2024-25 MARIPOSA CONCERT SERIES

AFRICAN QUEENS

Karen Slack soprano, Kevin miller piano
Saturday, October 5, 2024, 7:30 PM I Hahn Hall

An evening-length vocal recital of brilliantly curated new art songs celebrating the history and legacy of seven African Queens, revered as rulers but not widely heralded in the Western world. The program weaves this historical narrative through songs written for soprano Karen Slack by some of today's most acclaimed composers, including three recent Music Academy guest composers, Jessie Montgomery, Carlos Simon, and Joel Thompson, along with Jasmine Barnes, Damien Geter, Shawn Okpebholo, and Dave Ragland, with text by Lorene Cary, Alicia Haymer, Tsitsi Ella Jaji, and Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton, and Creative Collaborator for the African Queens project, Jay Saint Flono, performed in collaboration with pianist Kevin miller.

Each song reflects the beauty, humility, passion, and power of each Queen being celebrated.

PROGRAM
DAVE RAGLAND Precatio
CARLOS SIMON Behold, The Queen
DAVE RAGLAND The Queen of Sheba
JESSIE MONTGOMERY The Song of Nzingha
FRED ONOVWEROSUOKE Luwah (Bitter Tears)
SHAWN OKPEBHOLO A Letter From Queen Ufua
FRED ONOVWEROSUOKE Duniya (Mystic Universe)
JASMINE BARNES I Am Not Your God
Will Liverman A Prayer
JOEL THOMPSON Queen Nanny's Lullabye
DAMIEN GETER Amanirenas
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JACK QUARTET
Saturday, December 7, 2024, 7:30 PM I Hahn Hall

"One of contemporary music's indispensable ensembles" (The New York Times), JACKQuartet, founded by Music Academy alum Ari Streisfeld, presents "Modern Medieval,"a program exploring the work of long-past European composers through the lens ofcontemporary American composition, including music by Juri Seo, Austin Wulliman, andworks by Christopher Otto based on Rodericus, Solage, and Nathaniel Giles.

ARTISTS
Christopher Otto violin
Austin Wulliman violin
John Pickford Richards viola
Jay Campbell cello

The neglected, though not forgotten rites of the Medieval musical arts illuminate themusical manuscript anew as JACK explores the connections of musicality and thoughtbetween European composers of the past and the voices of American music today. The mysterious Rodericus and satirical Solage are viewed anew through the lens of JACK's own masterful arranger Chris Otto. Meanwhile, pieces by JACK's friends connect us to our musical forebears, using ancient harmonies, imitations, games, and secret messages as the jumping off point for unexpected journeys through magical, amorous, and dangerous tales.

PROGRAM TO INCLUDE SELECTIONS FROM:
TAYLOR BROOK Organum [2017]
CHRISTOPHER OTTO Angelorum Psalat, after Rodericus [2011 / c. 1390]
NICOLA VICENTINO Musica prisca caput // Madonna, il poco dolce [c. 1555]
VICENTE ATRIA Round-about [2024]
AUSTIN WULLIMAN Dave's Hocket [2024]
CHRISTOPHER OTTO Miserere, after Nathaniel Giles [2023 / 1594]
TAYLOR BROOK Phrygea [2017]
JOHNNY MACMILLAN Songs from the Seventh Floor [2021]
CHRISTOPHER OTTO Fumeux fume par fumee, after Solage [2018 / c. 1390]
JURI SEO Three Imaginary Chansons [2024]
TAYLOR BROOK Ars Nova [2017]
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LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS
Monday, February 17, 2025, 7:30 PM I Hahn Hall

As part of a Santa Barbara winter residency, London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) musicians collaborate with celebrated MAX (Music Academy Exchange) alums to create an unforgettable evening of chamber music.

The MAX program represents the Music Academy of the West and the London Symphony Orchestra's six-year vibrant partnership, providing 75 Music Academy alums with an opportunity to work with some of the world's top conductors, perform with LSO musicians, experience the European approach to music making, and share best practices in education and community engagement.

In addition to the Music Academy February 17 performance, the legendary London Symphony Orchestra will offer a special concert on February 18, co-presented by Community Arts Music Association and the Music Academy of the West.

Support for the London Symphony Orchestra partnership was provided in part by Linda and Michael Keston.
Program and Artists to be announced at a later date.
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yMusic
Monday, March 10, 2025, 7:30 PM I Hahn Hall

yMusic, the genre-leading American chamber ensemble, featuring Music Academy trumpet alum CJ Camerieri, continues its collaboration with sensational California composer Gabriella Smith, performing a new work that invites us to commune with the fragile beauty of the natural world.

ABOUT THE PREMIERE
Gabriella Smith's new score, a blend of acoustic performance with raw and processed field recordings, is an invitation to the listener to commune and connect with the fragile beauty of the natural world threatened by climate change. "Magnificent and mindblowingly original... her [music] speaks for itself-eloquently, ferociously and with a palette of instrumental sounds that land as both familiar and strikingly new" (San Francisco Chronicle).

ARTISTS
Alex Sopp flute
Mark Dover clarinet
CJ Camerieri trumpet (Music Academy of the West alum)
Rob Moose violin
Nadia Sirota viola
Gabriel Cabezas cello

Ticket Information

Tickets for the 2024-25 Mariposa Concert Series are $65 per single event, and $240 when subscribing to the four-concert series package.

Tickets are on sale online at musicacademy.org and by phone at 805-969-8787, Monday-Friday, 10 am to 5 pm.

The Music Academy is committed to ensuring low to-moderate income households in Santa Barbara County have access to the magic of music through $10 Community Access Tickets, subject to availability. Plus, young people ages 7-17 can receive a ticket free of charge when accompanied by a ticketed adult. The Community Access Ticket program is made possible in the loving memory of Linda Sawyer Frankel.

THE VENUE

Known as Miraflores, the Music Academy of the West's 10-acre campus was originally the estate of John Percival Jefferson. Its spectacular grounds and gardens are a serene space to gather before performances in the intimate Hahn Hall, which The Santa Barbara Independent calls an "ultra-luxurious jewel-box venue," and the Los Angeles Times says "nothing gets between music and the ear." Free, ample parking is available on campus.

About the Music Academy of the West

Located in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West creates a space where exceptional talent can thrive by encouraging artists to stretch, experiment, improvise, and play. The Music Academy provides artists with the tools they need to become not just great musicians but great leaders. The Music Academy's programs include the annual eight-week Summer School & Music Festival which trains up to 150 fellows ages 18-34 and presents more than 130 performances and events, competitions, and a fully staged opera; Sing!, a children's choir that performs with local, national, and international partners; the MAX (Music Academy Exchange) partnership with international orchestras; the innovative Alumni Enterprise Awards; and the Mariposa Series of concerts by Academy-affiliated artists. Learn more at musicacademy.org.

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