Hear we go
Treat your ears and your soul as the Siletz Bay Music Festival returns
Presenting a sonic rainbow of adventurous musical offerings in classical and contemporary chamber and symphonic music, Latin jazz and Native American motifs, the Siletz Bay Music Festival returns for its 11th season this Friday, Aug. 25.
The ambitious, 10-day series features more than 50 virtuoso musicians performing 11 concerts at five locations in Lincoln City and Newport.
Under the leadership of its Artistic Director Yaacov “Yaki” Bergman, the prestigious festival has become known for the unconventional diversity of its programing, and this year’s series promises to be the most adventurous in its long history.
Returning world-class virtuoso artists will be joined by some new exciting faces and, in addition to much-beloved selections from the classical canon, performances will place an emphasis on diversity and innovation with a world premiere piece, a Latin jazz night, a multi-media music-and-art performance, the symphonic poem, “How Can You Own the Sky,” based on Native American storytelling and chamber music by three female composers. As per the festival’s tradition, two free concerts are included in the schedule.
“The Siletz Bay Music Festival is the embodiment of different musical traditions that are equally profound,” Bergman said. “By blending genres together in one festival, we create the opportunity for amazing creativity. It’s quite incredible that we can bring such a multi-genre approach into fruition.”
This year’s venues include the Lincoln City Cultural Center, the Congregational Church of Lincoln City and Newport’s Pacific Maritime Heritage Center. For the first time, orchestral performances will take place at Chinook Winds Casino Resort and a free concert will take place at Lincoln City’s Regatta Park.
Returning to this year’s festival will be such world-class artists as pianists Mei-Ting Sun and Michele Chow; violinists Asi Matathias, Tosca Opdam, Anthea Kreston and James Stern; cellists Katherine Schultz and Jason Duckles; and violaist Miriam English Ward. Exciting new faces include the 18-year old multi-instrumental wunderkind Michele Bushkova; acclaimed flutist Amelia Lukas; Native American storyteller, drummer and dancer Brent Florendo; and Grammy-winning pianist-composer-arranger Daniel Freiberg, whose extraordinary background in the field of Latin jazz will add a new dimension to this year’s contemporary musical offerings.
For more information and tickets, go to SiletzBayMusic.org.
Schedule of performances
Friday, Aug. 25, 6:30 pm, Lincoln City Cultural Center: Gala Opening Night Reception and recital featuring Mei-Ting Sun.
Saturday, Aug. 26, 7:30 pm, Lincoln City Cultural Center: Saturday Soirée, an eclectic mix of chamber music.
Sunday, Aug. 27, 4 pm, Lincoln City Cultural Center: Musical Tapas, small bites of spirited music and gourmet food.
Monday, Aug. 28, 7:30 pm, Lincoln City Cultural Center: Sights and Sounds, multi-sensory music and art performance.
Tuesday, Aug. 29, 7:30 pm, Congregational Church of Lincoln City: A Musical Feast, free chamber music concert.
Wednesday, Aug. 30, 7:30 pm, Pacific Maritime Heritage Center: Siletz Comes to Yaquina, chamber music.
Thursday, Aug. 31, 7:30 pm, Lincoln City Cultural Center: Welcome to the Club, Latin jazz with Jessie Marquez.
Friday, Sept. 1, 6:30 pm, Chinook Winds Casino Resort: Benefit Dinner and Dance, music by the Ne Plus Ultra Jass Orchestra.
Saturday, Sept. 2, 2:30 pm: Regatta Park Bandshell: Free Family Concert, music for kids.
Saturday, Sept. 2, 7:30 pm, Chinook Winds Casino Resort: A Night at the Symphony, with full orchestra.
Sunday, Sept. 3, 4 pm, Chinook Winds Casino Resort: Sounds of the Americas, storytelling and the ground-breaking symphonic poem, “How Can You Own the Sky,” plus Daniel Freiberg’s symphonic suite, “Northern Journey.”
They’ve Got Each Other’s Bach
By Eliot Sekuler
“It’s a natural connection,” said cellist Jason Duckles, who will be performing together with his wife and frequent musical partner, Anthea Kreston, at this year’s Siletz Bay Music Festival. There are three married couples among the dozen musicians featured in the chamber music series, a ratio that’s not so unusual in a profession that demands a such commitment of focus, time and passion.
In addition to Kreston and Duckles, the festival will feature married violinists Asi Matathias and Tosca Opdam and married pianists Michelle Chow and Mei-Ting Sun.
They bring to their relationships a shared interest, an appreciation for a mutual obsession and an understanding of the idiosyncrasies that go along with their art form.
“The nature of what we’re doing involves a deep dive into emotional and intellectual matters,” Kreston said.
“It takes another musician to understand the necessity of spending about seven hours a day practicing by yourself,” Duckles added. “Someone who doesn’t know that that’s the routine can think you’re crazy.”
Like the other two couples, Corvallis-based Kreston and Duckles are renowned figures in the world of classical chamber music with resumes that include many recordings and a long list of performances on the world’s most prestigious stages.
Together, they performed and recorded with the Amelia Piano Trio, selected by National Public Radio to be the platform’s Young Ensemble in Residence. Kreston performed for four years with Germany’s Artemis String Quartet, becoming the first American violinist to join a major European string quartet. She served as a professor at the prestigious Universität der Kunste Berlin, performed with the Berlin Philharmonic and currently performs and records with Oregon’s Delgani String Quartet.
Duckles, currently conductor of the Corvallis Youth Symphony, has had an extensive career as a featured cello soloist. He performed with Yo Yo Ma in concerts throughout Central Asia and has been on the faculty of Wesleyan University, where he directed the Chamber Music Program, and Connecticut College and Willamette University, where he was both conductor and cello teacher.
Together since 1997, Kreston and Duckles met at the Aspen Music Festival and School, which draws hundreds of top-tier musicians each year for an eight-week program.
“When we started dating, I was really afraid that I was going to hate his playing,” Kreston said. “I think it’s impossible to date someone who’s playing you don’t respect because the music is so much a part of who they are and everything they want to be. I lucked out, because Jason was such a superstar.”
The Kreston-Duckles family includes two young daughters, violinist Mirabai and cellist Tzippora, who will perform with their parents at the festival’s “Musical Tapas” concert. Adding children to the family “changed everything,” said Duckles, who, along with Kreston, has sharply reduced his traveling to attend to family matters.
“Before we had our kids, we were traveling all the time,” Duckles said. “We were in two groups together. There were years when the only time when Anthea and I would not see each other was when our eyes were closed and we were asleep. Otherwise, we’re staring at each other for the entire day. It’s a good test of whether your relationship is going to work out.”