27 JULY 2024:
Rhapsody for This Land
Orchestra Elena’s official debut; a concert presented by St. Ann’s Warehouse and WNYC in partnership with Headcount and broadcast live by WNYC as part of their centennial celebration. Curated by Lara Downes, with additional sets featuring Christian McBride, Rosanne Cash, Time for Three, and Arturo O’Farrill.
We performed the east coast premiere of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue; reimagined by Puerto Rican composer Edmar Colón, commissioned and performed by visionary pianist Lara Downes and conducted by Aram Demirjian. Colón's arrangement introduced Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean influences to this classic work, perfectly reflecting New York City culture. Orchestra Elena dressed in all white to celebrate this special summer debut, performing beneath the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, overlooking the East River and an audience of nearly 5,000 people.
Photos by Phonesvanh Siharat (KITH)20 JULY 2024:
Opening Reception for Dialobjects
A special celebration in honor of At Land Gallery’s first anniversary and Upstate Art Weekend, for the opening of Dialobjects, a collaborative series of sculptural works by Hudson Valley based artists Kieran Kinsella and Rodger Stevens.
ELENA curated a 20m immersive music set to pair with these special wood and wire sculptures; playful dueling lines and shapes in Gliére, rich textures from Ravel and Villa Lobos, airy and zippy melodies from Nordic folk tunes, the homely warmth of Dvorak and timeless minimalism from Glass.
Performed by a quartet of musicians from Elena, these sets were performed continuously, without pause, inviting visitors to move freely throughout the space during the performance, experiencing different aural perspectives of the instrument sonorities and compositional textures.