Helia Music Collective is excited to present violinist Robert Simonds for an evening of contemporary music for solo violin by American women. This program explores the influences of the Baroque era, the Renaissance, and folk music by some of today’s most dynamic composers, including Missy Mazzoli, Cindy Cox, Patricia Van Ness, TJ Cole, Molly Joyce, Elizabeth Kennedy Bayer, Alexis Bacon, and a new work by Helia co-founder Emma Logan.
American violinist Robert Simonds has a multifaceted career as an orchestral player, chamber musician, and solo recitalist. This year, Rob begins his first season as principal second violin of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and his eighth as a member of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, CA. Interested in contemporary music for as long as he can remember, Rob performs, commissions, and records dynamic new music by living composers and explores the connections between traditions.
Co-founded by musician/composers Emma Logan and Julie Barwick, Helia Music Collective supports the creative endeavors of women in music throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Helia Music seeks to enrich the community and expand the engagement of women artists through educational outreach and collaborations, with performances and workshops taking place in unique and diverse spaces. Through charitable activities and events, Helia supports the education and development of women in the Bay Area and beyond.
Full program:
Missy Mazzoli Dissolve, O my Heart (2011)
Molly Joyce Blue Swell (2012)
Alexis Bacon Meditation No. 1 (2015) and Witches of Vardo (2015)
Sylvia Mancuso Complicit (2019)
Patricia Van Ness Four Violin Studies (2012)
Elizabeth Kennedy Bayer I Lost My Lifesavings in the Bitcoin Crash of 2014 (2015)
TJ Cole Miniatures No. 1 & No. 2 (2011)
Cindy Cox Elegy (1996)
Melody Eötvös Chrysalis (2016)