My wife and I had the pleasure of attending the concert on Saturday [4/15/23]. It was our first time listening to this ensemble. We were excited to hear all the contemporary music that was programmed, and we were especially excited to hear the US premiere of the Ruth Gipps piece. I am a big fan of contemporary music and this concert did not disappoint. Although I am a music composer and educator, I rarely attend orchestra concerts because most organizations rely too much on playing classical music’s “Greatest Hits”. I really want to hear the music of my time. I also believe that it is an extremely important endeavor to uncover the work of artists that may have been overlooked in their time. Our culture is in a period of paying great attention to the ideas of diversity, equity and inclusion and this is a great example of growing the repertoire and moving the needle in a more equitable direction. I really think the Seattle Philharmonic has found its niche and a great way to differentiate itself from other classical music organizations. Thank you for this programming and I hope to hear more of this in the future.
Clark G.