Still Here: Music of Sorrow, Resilience, and Joy, for clarinet and piano

$15 suggested donation. Donate online via this link, or give cash/check at the door.

Still Here: Music of Sorrow, Resilience, and Joy, for clarinet and piano

A program of four musical works that explore the various shades and colors of sorrow, joy, and resilience – and the ways in which they can intimately intertwine with one another.

The centerpiece of the program is Jonathan Russell’s 2022 composition “Still Here” for clarinet and piano. Inspired by the courage and resolve of President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people in the face of Russian aggression, the piece is dedicated to all oppressed peoples in all times and places, who assert through culture, art, music, and community that they are "still here."

Russell’s other composition, “Sonata #2 for Bass Clarinet and Piano” is lighter and groove-driven but with darker underpinnings lurking below the surface. Francis Poulenc’s colorful and character-rich “Sonata for Clarinet and Piano” and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s poignant “Sorrow Songs” round out the program.

The concert will be performed by Jonathan Russell, clarinet and bass clarinet, and Solon Gordon, piano.

This concert is sponsored in part by Eastern Bank.

Full program info:

Sonata for Clarinet and Piano (1962) - Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)

I.   Allegro tristamente

II.  Romanza

III. Allegro con fuoco

Sonata #2 for Bass Clarinet and Piano (2023) - Jonathan Russell (b. 1979)

I. Confidently grooving

II. Meditative and dreamy

III. Confidently grooving

– INTERMISSION –

Still Here (2022) -  Jonathan Russell

I. Slow and stately

II. Scherzo

III. Lyrical and flowing

IV. Defiantly joyful

Sorrow Songs, Opus 57 (1904) - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)

II. “When I am dead, my dearest”

Arranged by Sarah Watts

$15 suggested donation. Donate online via this link, or give cash/check at the door.

Parking Note:  There is no parking at Thacher Hall. Parking is available just across Route 6A from Thacher Hall around the Common, as well as at the Post Office. Overflow parking is also available at the Chapter House Inn parking lot (west side). Crossing attendants will be available to assist with crossing Route 6A at the designated crosswalk in front of Thacher Hall. If you need accessible parking information, please email events@thacherhall.org.

Accessibility Note:  Thacher Hall is a historic building and is not accessible via wheelchair - a short flight of stairs is required for entrance into the Hall and the restrooms are located on the lower level (accessed via stairs).