The groundbreaking jazz clarinetist and composer William O. “Bill” Smith, who has written new works which will be premiered by the composer along with flutist Jeffrey Cohan and violinist Sharyn Peterson, alongside works written for the occasion by Seattle composer Huntley Beyer and Slovenian composer Igor Dekleva (Ljubljiana) in New Music by William O. Smith in celebration of the composer’s 92nd birthday on Saturday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Odd Fellows Hall.
Admission will be by free will offering/suggested donation ($15 or $20 or $25) with those 18 and under free. For more information, see www.salishseafestival.org/newmusic.
World premieres by Smith, including “Session” for clarinet, flute and violin, “Jazz Set” for flute and violin and “Five Pages” for solo violin will be complemented with world premieres of “It’s Personal” by Huntley Beyer and “Nostalgic Fantasy” by Igor Dekleva (Slovenia), both written for clarinetist-composer William O. Smith, flutist Jeffrey Cohan and violinist Sharyn Peterson for this performance.
Smith is well known not only to Northwest audiences but to jazz fans and clarinetists throughout the world. A founding member of the Dave Brubeck Octet, Smith pioneered the use of contemporary techniques on clarinet in the 1960s and has continued to experiment with them throughout his life, both in his jazz improvisation and classical composition. Bill was professor of clarinet, composition and contemporary music at the University of Washington for 30 years.
Sharyn Peterson is Artistic Director and Conductor of the Mt. Baker and Fidalgo Youth Symphonies, and has brought young musicians to Finland, China, Ireland and other countries with these organizations. Founder and director of the Peterson Conservatory in Mount Vernon, she is Artistic Director and Conductor of SUMMER SOUNDS Music Festival, co-founded Skagit Opera in 2004 and has directed the chamber music series “Music for a Starry Night” at the historic Lincoln Theater in Mt Vernon since 1995. Jeffrey Cohan directs the Salish Sea Early Music Festival, the Black Hawk Chamber Music Festival in the Midwest and the Capitol Hill Chamber Music Festival in Washington, DC and has performed as soloist in 25 countries.
