Resonance Works to Present THIS LOVE BETWEEN US Concerts

Resonance Works kicks off 2024 with This Love Between Us, a choral-orchestral concert featuring Bach's sparkling Magnificat, the Pittsburgh premiere of This Love Between Us: Prayers for Unity by Reena Esmail, and Breaking Bread for solo violin by Nkeiru Okoye, performed by the Resonance Chamber Orchestra, Festival Chorus, and a spectacular quintet of soloists, conducted by Maria Sensi Sellner. There will be two performances, one at downtown's Trinity Cathedral on February 2nd, and another on February 4th at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church. 

“I knew the moment I first heard This Love Between Us that we had to perform it here,” says Maria Sensi Sellner, Resonance Works' Artistic & General Director. Written in 2016, Esmail's piece brings together the sonic worlds of  Hindustani and Western classical music, and reflects on the themes of unity and kindness. Building on the success of the company's “remarkable” (OnStage Pittsburgh) Mass in B Minor last season, and 2019's St. John Passion, Resonance Works continues its journey through the major works of Johann Sebastian Bach with one of the most popular and vibrant - his Magnificat in D major from 1733. “We are passionate about presenting both important new American works and really excellent Bach to Pittsburgh, so the cultural intersection of Esmail's transcendent piece and Bach's sublime Magnificat made this pairing the perfect choice as we step into our second decade.”

Soprano Samina Aslam & mezzo-soprano Tahanee Aluwihare Making their Pittsburgh debuts are: Pakistani-American soprano Samina Aslam, praised for her “velvet tone” and celebrated for recent debuts with Portland Opera and Chautauqua Opera; Sri Lankan-American mezzo-soprano Tahanee Aluwihare, hailed as “impeccable” by OperaWire; and critically acclaimed Korean-American multidisciplinary bass Paul Chwe MinChul An, who has performed as an oratorio soloist and chamber musician with such groups as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Choir of Trinity Wall Street. One of the country's most called upon Bach specialists, tenor soloist Gene Stenger, a Pittsburgh native hailed as “impressive” by The New York Times, makes his company debut, joined by Pittsburgh and Resonance Works favorite, soprano Katy Shackleton Williams. 

One of the most exciting voices in new music today, Indian-American composer Reena Esmail's work brings communities together through the creation of equitable musical spaces.  This Love Between Us: Prayers for Unity juxtaposes texts from seven different religious traditions, setting them in both English and in their original languages.  Each movement is also a unique combination of Indian and Western classical styles, spanning a continuum from the Christian movement, which is rooted firmly in the baroque style, to the Zoroastrian movement, which calls upon the Hindustani vilambit bandish. 
 
“Even more than uniting musical practices, this piece unites people from two different musical traditions: a sitar and tabla join the choir and baroque orchestra. Each of the musicians is asked to keep one hand firmly rooted in their own tradition and training, while reaching the other hand outward to greet another musical culture,” Esmail says in her program notes.

A Pittsburgh native, Griska began his sitar training with Pittsburgh's own Dr. Sushanta Banerjee, and has traveled the world studying, performing, and accompanying his Guruji, Pandit K. Sridhar. Mukherjee, an alum of the University of Pittsburgh, began studying tabla at age 6, and is currently under the guidance of his guru, internationally renowned tabla virtuoso Pandit Samir Chatterjee.
  
Acclaimed Pittsburgh-based violinist Maureen Conlon Gutierrez will open the program with Breaking Bread by American composer Nkeiru Okoye, which acts as an invocation for the journey to come. Okoye is an American-born composer of African American and Nigerian ancestry, whose compositions incorporate a variety of musical styles and influences to create a sound that is all her own. Breaking Bread culminates in a quotation from the African American spiritual, Let Us Break Bread Together, sung in many American denominations as a communion hymn, reminding the listener to enter into this shared space with the spirit of peace and humility.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS: 

Friday, February 2, 7:30 p.m.
Trinity Cathedral, Downtown Pittsburgh
Sunday, February 4, 4:00 p.m.
Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church

Run time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus intermission
Tickets: $15–$50

www.resonanceworks.org/this-love-between-us

About Resonance Works

Resonance Works is a Pittsburgh-based performing arts non-profit that empowers musicians and inspires audiences with intimate, genre-defying productions featuring everything from opera and musical theatre to orchestral, choral, and chamber music. Performed in the intimacy of small theatres, churches, art galleries, and even cemeteries, Resonance Work productions heighten the soul-stirring experience of live music by bringing audiences and artists into close proximity. 

The company's work is shaped by collaborations with nationally and internationally recognized artists, whose creative vision and immense talents generate the foundation for each Resonance Works production. Through these dynamic partnerships, Resonance Works creates musical experiences that highlight the artists' voices and speak to urgent contemporary issues.  

Resonance Works was founded in 2013 by Pittsburgh native Maria Sensi Sellner, a versatile and innovative classical conductor praised for bringing a “welcome infusion of sophistication and diversity” to Pittsburgh's cultural landscape. Resonance Works has produced beloved operas, rare and new concert works, and cross-genre performances, including 12 world premieres and dozens of regional premieres, living out its mission to bring inspiring musical experiences by globally renowned performers to Pittsburgh stages.

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