RELEASE: Genre-Bending Trio Time For Three Presents Omaha Debut of Higdon’s Concerto 4-3
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Genre-Bending Trio Time For Three Presents Omaha Debut of Higdon’s Concerto 4-3
Ankush Kumar Bahl and the Omaha Symphony join with guest artists to present a bluegrass-tinged symphonic experience
Program features two living American composers, Sarah Kirkland Snider and Jennifer Higdon
Omaha Symphony After Hours event immediately following the Saturday performance
OMAHA, Neb., Jan. 25, 2022—Music Director Ankush Kumar Bahl and the musicians of the Omaha Symphony continue the 2021/22 season’s celebration of innovation and American artists Feb. 11-12 in Bahl and Time For Three. The bluegrass-influenced trio joins the orchestra for the Omaha premiere of living American composer Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto 4-3, a work that evokes the roaring rivers of the Smoky Mountains while engaging equally with the language of Classical music and the Appalachian bluegrass vernacular. The program begins, however, with another living American—and woman—composer: Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Something for the Dark also receives its Omaha premiere. Finally, the orchestra presents a beloved Russian work, Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2.
Bahl and Time For Three will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 11-12 at the Holland Performing Arts Center Peter Kiewit Hall. Tickets are on sale now at omahasymphony.org.
Performance Details:
Friday-Saturday, Feb. 11-12 at 7:30 p.m.
Holland Performing Arts Center Peter Kiewit Concert Hall
Ankush Kumar Bahl, conductor
Time For Three, guest artists
SARAH KIRKLAND SNIDER: Something for the Dark
JENNIFER HIGDON: Concerto 4-3
RACHMANINOFF: Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
Omaha Symphony After Hours I
The recently-announced “After Hours” series is kicks off post-concert on Saturday evening in the Conagra East Lobby (on Orchestra level). Concert-goers are invited to gather for an immersive performance by the genre-bending trio, Time For Three. Admission is free with a ticket to the Masterworks performance. Cash bar available.
Admission is included in the price of tickets for the performance. Ticketholders for the Friday performance may exchange into Saturday at no cost by calling Ticket Omaha at 402.345.0606.
Sarah Kirkland Snider, Jennifer Higdon, Rachmaninoff
Recently deemed as “one of the decade’s more gifted, up-and-coming modern classical composers” by Pitchfork and “an important representative of 21st century trends in composition” by New York Classical Review, Sarah Kirkland Snider is an American artist to watch. A native of Princeton, New Jersey, Snider’s compositions began to receive attention during her time studying at Yale and the Aspen Music Festival. She has since gone on to receive commissions and performances from the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Kansas City Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony for which Something for the Dark was written. The piece explores dark themes and resilience with bold brass, and the title comes from a poem by Detroit-born-and-raised former United States poet laureate Philip Levine.
American composer Jennifer Higdon, a protégé of the long-time Atlanta Symphony music director Robert Spano, is known for her accessible neo-Romantic style. After a late start to her musical training at age 18, Higdon studied with revered composers Ned Rorem and George Crumb. Despite her unusual path, she has become one of the most important figures in American classical music. She penned her Concerto 4-3 as a commission for the trio Time For Three, written for two violins and bass with orchestra. “[Concerto 4-3] uses the language of Classical music, with dashes of bluegrass technique,” Higdon explains. The piece contains references to the rivers that run through the Smoky Mountains where Higdon grew up.
Though Rachmaninoff lived and composed far into the 20th century, his style aligns with the tradition of his Romantic Russian predecessors, namely Tchaikovsky. After the traumatic premiere of his First Symphony, which was received so poorly by critics it caused a breakdown in his mental faculties, Rachmaninoff persisted with composition and eventually gained notoriety for works such as his popular Piano Concerto No. 2. His Symphony No. 2 in E minor, like his other works, traces melancholic themes and follows Russian traditions such as the placement of the scherzo in movement two and the repetition of all previously heard themes in movement four.
About Time For Three
Bonded by an uncommon blend of instruments and vocals, Charles Yang (violin), Nick Kendall (violin), and Ranaan Meyer (double bass), have found a unique voice of expression. To experience Time For Three live is to hear the various eras, styles, and traditions of Western music fold in on themselves and emerge anew.
Earning praise from NPR, NBC and The Wall Street Journal, Time for Three is renowned for their charismatic and energetic performances in venues including Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center and The Royal Albert Hall. They have collaborated with artists as diverse as Ben Folds, Branford Marsalis and Joshua Bell, and have premiered original works by composers Chris Brubeck and Pulitzer Prize-winners Jennifer Higdon and William Bolcom. An upcoming commission by Pulitzer Prize-winner Kevin Puts will be premiered with the San Francisco Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra. In 2020, the band partnered with cellist and composer Ben Sollee to put together the soundtrack to the new Focus Features' film Land, starring and directed by Robin Wright. The film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 31, 2021.
About Ankush Kumar Bahl
Ankush Kumar Bahl is currently the 13th Music Director in the Omaha Symphony's 100-year history. He is recognized today by orchestras and audiences alike for his impressive conducting technique, thoughtful interpretations, and engaging podium presence. In concert, he has left The Washington Post “wanting to hear more” and has been praised by The New York Times for his “clear authority and enthusiasm” and ability to “inspire.” His recent guest conducting highlights include performances with the New York Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Orchestre National de France, and the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México, the Richmond Symphony, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, D.C.). Summer festival engagements include the Copenhagen Philharmonic at Tivoli, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, the Wintergreen Summer Music Festival, the Chautauqua Institute, and at Wolf Trap with the NSO.
A protégé of former New York Philharmonic Music Director Kurt Masur, Bahl served as his assistant conductor at the Orchestre National de France from 2008-2011. From 2011-2015, he served as the assistant conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. In addition to Maestro Masur, Bahl is fortunate to count Jaap van Zweden, Zdenek Macal, Christoph Eschenbach, David Zinman and Gianandrea Noseda among his mentors.
Ticketing Information
Tickets for Bahl and Time For Three start at $20. Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.omahasymphony.org, through the Ticket Omaha app, or by calling Ticket Omaha at 402.345.0606. Student rush tickets are $10 and can be purchased one hour before the performance. Performance dates are subject to change. In the event of performance changes or cancellations, the Omaha Symphony will email ticket holders to inform them of new dates and ticketing options. Patrons with questions may email ticketomaha@o-pa.org. The Omaha Symphony also regularly posts performance updates at omahasymphony.org, along with the Omaha Symphony’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages. Patrons can sign up for the latest updates at omahasymphony.org.
Public Health Information
The safety of our patrons, musicians, staff, and community is the Omaha Symphony’s priority. The Omaha Symphony continues to work closely with the Douglas County Department of Health and our partners at Omaha Performing Arts and UNMC to ensure the safety of all involved in the Omaha Symphony’s return to live performances. All patrons will be required to complete a health screening questionnaire prior to accessing their mobile tickets via the Ticket Omaha app. Masks are required at indoor Omaha Symphony performances. The following changes have been implemented within the venue:
- Enhanced Cleaning & Sanitation - Electrostatic technology disinfecting large common areas, enhanced sanitizing of high touch surfaces with hospital grade disinfectant and hand sanitizing stations throughout the venue.
- Heating and Cooling System – Upgrades to air handling units includes bipolar ionization filtering out viruses through ventilation.
- Staff and Patron Precautions – Staff, volunteers and patrons are required to wear face coverings regardless of vaccination status.
- Touchless Experience – Tickets are accessible via the Ticket Omaha app. Tickets can also be printed at Will Call by request. Program notes will be delivered digitally.
Find the most up-to-date public health information at omahasymphony.org/public-health.
This performance is sponsored by Omaha Steaks.
The Omaha Symphony is a non-profit organization that presents more than 100 live orchestral performances from September through June. In addition to Masterworks, Symphony Pops, Symphony Rocks, Movies, Symphony Joslyn, and Family series concerts, the Omaha Symphony’s nationally recognized education and community engagement programs touch the lives of more than 40,000 people each year. For tickets or information regarding the Omaha Symphony, call 402-345-0606 or visit omahasymphony.org. Programs, artists, dates, times, prices, and availability are subject to change.
Find high-resolution photos, press releases, event calendars, and more in our press kit: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jg9cflnlt9tlq9t/AABGbzsKtXGXEctBcSrIQYQBa?dl=0
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