Dances in the Sky

Deon Fox, Artistic Director
Geoffrey Larson, Music Director and Conductor

Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra crafts performances that tell the story of the human experience in new ways. SMCO connects communities with themes relevant to our world, and features music by composers of under-represented groups, such as women and people of color, on every performance. One of Seattle’s youngest professional performing arts organizations, SMCO explores new worlds of musical possibility with adventurous, experimental projects.

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Emerald City Trapeze Arts is the Pacific Northwest’s premiere destination for Flying Trapeze, Aerial Arts, and Circus classes. One of the leading Circus training organizations in the United States, ECTA also hosts world-class aerial performances in their state-of-the-art facility, housed in Sodo’s former Canal Boiler Works building. The historic, wood-beamed space is also available for special events of all occasions.

Learn more about ECTA and aerial class offerings.

Please note: chairs on the ground level must be moved during intermission to accommodate the aerial acts. We are grateful for your patience, consideration, and cooperation as our staff prepares the house for the safety of the performers.

About the Music

Notes by Steve Reeder

FLYING TRAPEZE
Johann Strauss II: Roses from the South and Voices of Spring

The most prominent member of a family musical dynasty in nineteenth-century Austria, Strauss began his violin studies at age 6 and formed his own orchestra at 19. His first professional opportunity came from a casino theatre in suburban Vienna. He would eventually achieve renown as “The Waltz King,” and he composed more than 500 dance pieces in all. The waltz sequence, Roses from the South, dates from 1880 and utilizes melodies from Strauss’ operetta The Queen’s Lace Handkerchief.

In his late thirties, Strauss achieved one of his career goals when the emperor named him Music Director for the Royal Court Balls in Vienna. He composed Voices of Spring in 1882, incorporating an optional part for coloratura soprano. With or without the words, this piece evokes the arrival of spring with its themes of warmth, nature, birdsong and love.

ORCHESTRAL INTERLUDE
William Grant Still: Mother and Child

The widely acknowledged “Dean of African-American composers,” as well as a member of the Harlem Renaissance, Still wrote nearly 200 pieces in a wide variety of forms. When he led the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl in 1936, he became the first Black musician to conduct a major orchestra in a program of his own works. Mother and Child, with its roots in the tradition of African-American spirituals, began as a movement from his Suite for Violin and Piano (1943), later adapted by the composer for string orchestra.

CLOUD SWING
Georges Bizet, arr. Ernest Guiraud: Selections from Carmen Suites 1 and 2
          Prélude
          Aragonaise
          Chanson du Toréador (Song of the Bullfighter)

Composed in 1875, Bizet’s opera Carmen reflected the great interest in Spanish culture which had become quite the vogue in France. Its visceral story of a naïve soldier led astray by a gypsy girl scandalized its first audiences. Sadly, Bizet died just three months after its premiere, but his beautiful, refined and highly atmospheric music, replete with many different Spanish rhythms, has achieved immortality.

INTERMISSION (10 minutes)

DANCE/SILKS
Debussy: Danse sacrée et danse profane
Sophie Baird-Daniel, solo harp

Debussy composed this sublime work for a now extinct instrument: a chromatic harp made by the Pleyel company, which had no pedals but many more strings than the prevailing form of the instrument at the turn of the twentieth century. The two linked dances, one sacred and the other secular, contrast the heavenly and the earthly. The first has an antique, modal quality; the second features a waltz; and the entire piece conveys the atmosphere of a fleeting dream.

AERIAL POLE
Carlos Gardel, arr. Geoffrey Larson: Por una cabeza

Gardel has the distinction of being the most acclaimed tango singer of all time. A native of France, raised in Argentina, he launched his professional career in bars and private parties. By the early 1930s, he had become a best-selling recording artist and global movie idol. The title of this song translates as “by a head,” suggesting a narrow victory in a horse race. The original text compares the singer’s gambling addiction with his attraction to women.

CYR WHEEL
Antonín Dvořák: Slavonic Dance Op. 72 No. 2

Dvořák trained as an organist and violist, and he played in the pit orchestra for opera productions at the National Theatre in Prague, before finally achieving fame as a composer in his late thirties. One of his admirers, the venerated German composer Johannes Brahms, saw to the publication of his first set of Slavonic Dances in 1878. The second set followed eight years later and also achieved enormous popularity. This selection is a Starodávný (“Old-Time Dance”), a form common to both Bohemia and Moravia.

CHAINS
Johann Sebastian Bach arr. Leopold Stokowski: Excerpt from Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor

Although now revered as one of the composer’s most elaborate and renowned works for organ, Bach initially wrote it for a double-manual harpsichord. The legendary conductor Leopold Stokowski arranged this early Bach score for the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1922, and an excerpt of his version has been adapted for this evening’s performance.

LYRA
Georges Bizet, arr. Ernest Guiraud: Danse bohème from Carmen Suite No. 2

Sourced from Act 2 of Bizet’s famous tragedy, Carmen and her friends Frasquita and Mercédès entertain officers at an inn in Seville with a fiery dance that dazzles with ever-growing speed.

Executive Producer: Shawn Hammer
Producer: Sarah Brownstein
Stage Manager: Ethan Hechanova
Lighting Design: Todd Peshlaki
Lighting & Sound: PNTA

About the Performers

SEATTLE METROPOLITAN CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Clarinet
Dallas Neustel
Ashley Cook

Bassoon
Clarisse Benson
Cyrus Roat

French Horn
Jill Jaques
André Goodrich
Suzanne Feinstein
Sue Perry

Trumpet
Peter Nelson-King
Joe Yang

Trombone
Grant Reed
Ryan Wagner
Benn Hansson †

Timpani
Gordon Robbe

Percussion
Frank Ronneburg
Jonathan Rush
Evan Berge

* Solo, Por una Cabeza
+ Piccolo
† Bass Trombone

Sophie Baird-Daniel, Harp

Praised for her “technicolor” sound (Gramophone), harpist Sophie Baird-Daniel is in high demand as a soloist and collaborator.  She has been featured at numerous series and festivals, including Tanglewood Music Center, Seattle Symphony, Aspen Music Festival, Bellingham Music Festival, Seattle Modern Orchestra, Philharmonia Northwest, and North Corner Chamber Orchestra.  As an orchestral musician, Sophie has performed with the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, San Francisco Ballet, Houston Symphony, and the Minnesota Orchestra.

​A champion of new music, she has given premiers of works by Freya Waley-Cohen, George Benjamin, Megan Bledsoe-Ward, and Marc-André Dalbavie. 

​Sophie was a participant in the prestigious 2018 International Harp Contest in Israel, a quarter finalist in the 2016 International Dutch Harp Competition, and won the silver medal at the 2017 Vancouver international Music Competition.  She was the 2015 winner of the Frances Walton Competition, which culminated in an outreach tour of rural Eastern Washington reaching thousands of school-aged children. The experience has continued to inspire her work in outreach and education.

Alongside her performing career, Sophie is the artistic director of Archipelago Collective, a dynamic and forward thinking chamber music festival on San Juan Island, Washington.

Sophie has been mentored by some of the world’s leading harp pedagogues including Isabelle Perrin, Nancy Allen, Elizabeth Fontan-Binoche, Mariko Anraku, Valerie Muzzolini, and Jessica Zhou.  She completed her Artist and Performance Diplomas at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of world-renowned harpist Judy Loman.  

Geoffrey Larson, Conductor

American conductor Geoffrey Larson is the founding Music Director of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra. At home on both the symphonic and operatic stage, he serves as Chorus Master and Assistant Conductor of Berkshire Opera Festival. From performing with the hit Seattle rapper Wanz to conducting music of Vivaldi and Mason Bates in a two-story nightclub, Geoffrey's adventurous projects have harnessed the storytelling power, rich variety, and universal relevance of orchestral and operatic music to engage new audiences.

In December 2021 he will participate in the Concurso de Dirección de Orquesta de Almería, one of eight semi-finalists chosen from 129 international applicants. He was also recently selected for the Nikisch and Dorati International Conducting Competitions, and was named a finalist in the Lanyí Conducting Competition and a finalist for the Respighi Prize in Conducting.

With a deep commitment to the music of our time, he has given the premieres of numerous works and has worked closely with composers such as Gabriel Prokofiev, Erberk Eryılmaz, Nancy Galbraith, and Reza Vali, and Leonardo Balada. Passionate about increased inclusion of under-represented groups in classical music, Geoffrey’s performances with SMCO each feature at least one work by a woman and/or person of color.

In the world of opera, he has collaborated with artists such as Tamara Wilson, Sebastian Catana, Caroline Worra, and Daniel Belcher. Working closely with baritone Sherrill Milnes, he served as Assistant Conductor for Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre in Prague, the site of the work’s premiere. His opera credits include Puccini's La bohème, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, Chabrier’s L’étoile, Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale, Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied, and Verdi’s La Traviata, Rigoletto, and Falstaff.

Geoffrey is currently completing a doctoral thesis at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music under the mentorship of Arthur Fagen and Thomas Wilkins. He has served as Assistant Conductor of IU Opera and Ballet Theatre, working closely with David Neely, Kevin Murphy, and Walter Huff. He previously studied with two-time Grammy Award winner Robert Page at Carnegie Mellon University, where he recorded with the Carnegie Mellon Contemporary Music Ensemble for NAXOS Records. He participated in master classes at London’s Royal Academy of Music at the personal selection of the late George Hurst, and he has studied at the Pierre Monteux School under the tutelage of Michael Jinbo. During a concentrated half year of study in Vienna, Austria, he studied harmony with Gerold Gruber at Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien and opera conducting with Wolfgang Harrer. He has benefited from additional studies with Carl St. Clair, Patrick Summers, Peter Erös, Ronald Zollman, and Michael Christie.

Flying Trapeze Team

Jordan Tribble, Lead Flyer and Director of the Flying Trapeze Act is excited to present and perform in Dances in the Sky. Previously he has created trapeze acts and performed for venues, festivals, and circuses around the world such as Cirque du Soliel’s LA NOUBA, POP Circus in Japan, Heilbronner Weihnachts Circus in Germany, Circus Vargas in California, and ARISE Music Festival in Colorado. Emerald City Trapeze Arts served as a launching pad for Jordan’s trapeze career, so coming back to lead the team for this show with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra is especially meaningful for him. He now owns Pneumatic Arts, a flying trapeze education and entertainment company that is internationally known and recognized as one of the top names in Flying Trapeze.

Blair Aued is honored to be working with Emerald City Trapeze and Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra as a performer and Creative Director of Flying Trapeze for Dances in the Sky. She has previously performed flying trapeze with Circus Vargas, Heilbronner Weihnachtscircus, and Pneumatic Arts at the Arise Music Festival. 

Sam Buckmier, Choreographer, Flying Trapeze Artist, and Dancer in Dances in the Sky, is excited to fly with the Emerald City flyers in collaboration with Jordan and Blair from Pneumatic Arts. Sam has been doing flying trapeze for six years now and has performed with Fly!Boise, Emerald City Trapeze Arts, and The Flying Cortes. Sam has been dancing for 20 years and has performed with Rainbow Dance Theatre, A-Wol Dance Company, Pure Dance Company, Off Center Dance Company and Redlight Variety Show. She has also been choreographing for ten years. She has choreographed for dance teams, modern dance companies, aerial artists and flying trapeze shows.

Hailing from Seattle, Zach Holmberg, Catcher, has traveled extensively throughout the United States of America and internationally as a flying trapeze catcher, acrobat and teacher. Having spent a number of years on the road learning, performing, coaching and adventuring, he is grateful for the amazing opportunity to perform at home once again, and for the blessing of being able to work with Pneumatic Arts and the Emerald City Flyers.

Sarah Brownstein, Flying Trapeze Artist and Producer of Dances in the Sky, is in awe of this production, and is grateful to Seattle Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra for reaching out to Emerald City Trapeze with the idea for this partnership. Sarah got her start with flying trapeze in Austin, Texas, and like many pursued a circuitous route towards a full time career in circus. She has performed at Emerald City Trapeze and with The Flying Cortes.

Sarah Piepho, Flying Trapeze Artist, first found trapeze in her 30's, taking a flying trapeze class at Emerald City Trapeze. She quickly fell in love, and eventually quit her job and ran away to the circus. Sarah, or Peeps as she is known in the circus world, has performed with Emerald City Trapeze, The Flying Pages, the Flying Royals, and had the honor of working with Pneumatic Arts on 'Connect Roots', a creative short film. Peeps is thrilled to be working with Pneumatic Arts again on Dances in the Sky, in her hometown of Seattle, at Emerald City Trapeze.

Isra Cavazzi, Flying Trapeze Artist, is thrilled to be performing as a flyer in such a unique show. He is an instructor at emerald city trapeze arts and has performed in private corporate events. He is looking forward to collaborating with such a talented group of musicians.

Kevin Vu is thrilled to be performing in his debut professional flying trapeze act in Dances in the Sky. Having previously performed in orchestras playing cello for nearly a decade, Kevin is excited to be performing alongside one for a change. He has previously performed with the South Bay Youth Orchestra, the MBMS String Quartet, and recreationally with Trapeze School New York: Los Angeles.

Lukas Weinbach, Flying Trapeze Artist, is enchanted to be performing in the flying trapeze act of Dances in the Sky. This is Lukas' first professional circus performance after having competed as an athlete.

Aerialists

Lynn Treadwell, Cloud Swing

Lynn Treadwell has been participating in circus arts for over 10 years. She started off with flying trapeze at Emerald City Trapeze Arts shortly after it opened. She quickly became addicted to not only the mental and physical aspect but also the community. Five years ago, she added Cloud Swing to her repertoire. She will be performing on this apparatus in the Dances with the Sky show. When not at the studio, she is a stepmom/mom to three boys and one very hyper dog.

Jessica Perry, Aerial Silks

Jessica is an artist and creator of multi-genre performance art and coach to her beloved students. She started her circus journey with flying trapeze and aerial acrobatics in Colorado as a teenager. From her first swing, she was hooked. This combination of artistry, athleticism, and mystery was all she wanted to do with her life. In 2017, she graduated from the National Centre for Circus Arts in London where she studied not only circus technique, but also act creation, theater, directing, biomechanics, and the anatomy of building strong circus bodies. Since then she has been traveling, teaching and performing through Europe and Australia, working with AIDA Cruises, Stufish Productions, CIRCA, Creactive by Cirque du Soleil, Acrobatic Conundrum, and finally landed at Emerald City Trapeze Arts in Seattle in the US. In addition to performing, Jessica also manages the Fitness, Ground and Movement Program, where she helps students achieve their creative and technical circus goals.

Deon Fox, Artistic Director & Aerial Pole

Deon Fox started his aerial journey at Emerald City Trapeze Arts two years ago, and has since  devoted himself to the mastery of various circus apparatuses. He has appeared in numerous live symphonic performances across the country with Troupe Vertigo. For this reason, performing with a live orchestra at his home studio is of particular significance for him. As a performer, his goal is to connect with the music and the audience in equal capacity. This show is special because live classical music is captivating and evokes emotion on its own. His love for music and passion for movement are what he hopes to convey in all of his performances.

Kate Garland, Cyr Wheel

Kate got her start in the circus in 2014, when she met some acrobats on a beach in Hawaii who welcomed her into their incredible community of circus artists. A competitive swimmer growing up, Kate took to aerial arts quickly. She first started learning silks and standing acrobatics but began shifting her focus entirely to Cyr Wheel when she had to move away from her original circus community. As she traveled more, she began to find other Cyr artists all over the world and practiced alongside them. Ultimately, Kate began performing across the country.

Valentina Zackrone, Aerial Chains

Valentina is a lifelong performer, choreographer, acro-dance instructor and award-winning educator and coach. She holds a master’s degree in teaching/ education and four coaching certifications, including coaching for breakthrough (a methodology for achieving results you never thought possible). She has performed on stages big and small all over the world, from the Bernard Shaw theater in London, UK and White Nights festival in St. Petersburg, Russia to Emerald City Trapeze Arts in Seattle and at sea aboard Windstar Cruises. She specializes in aerial chains, rope and hammock and enjoys infusing her aerial style with a touch of ballroom flare.

Mari Sharpe, Lyra

After a lifetime of love for performance art Mari received her first company ballet contract at age 17. This led her to dance corps, demi-soloist, & soloist roles in numerous classical & contemporary ballets under directors from Canyon Concert Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Denver Ballet Theatre, & more. After deciding to broaden her artistic voice through circus, Mari attended a pro-track acrobatic intensive at SANCA Seattle. She has since utilized the results of her meticulous dance & circus training through her award winning choreography, featured roles in music video productions, & as a fine art subject in works published by NYT best selling authors & hung in high profile galleries around the world. However, Mari is always living as her truest self under the lights on stage as an acrobat, aerialist, & dancer of many styles. Mari feels truly honored to be a part of the vibrant Seattle circus community - blessed to have performed with many special companies, including Acrobatic Conundrum, Valtesse, and now finally ECTA itself.

SMCO extends sincere thanks to our generous community of individual donors and grant-making organizations.