Monterey Symphony Announces Next Balcony Session Featuring Concertmaster Christina Mok

 The Monterey Symphony will present its next Balcony Session featuring concertmaster Christina Mok on Friday, February 5th at 4 PM. 

Carmel/Monterey, CA, February 04, 2021 – The Monterey Symphony will present its next Balcony Session featuring concertmaster Christina Mok on Friday, February 5th at 4 PM. The concert, filmed at Sunset Center, also features a world premiere from MSO Composer-in-Residence John Wineglass titled Alone.

Wineglass writes this about the piece, “Alone is comprised of two starkly contrasting movements. The first entitled "Frenzied Lives" explodes at a very rapid 144 bpm (beats per minute) pace indicative of humanity across the globe pre-COVID and then into the perils of a global pandemic - all voiced by a single violin with live electronics intermittently. 

There would be glimmers of hope - times of possible brilliance - yet brought back to a current dismal reality of isolation, loss, loneliness, suffering and even racial injustice. A longing for common ground but finding no footing... no continuity. Abrupt silences... alone. And while it is important to rise up again to survive, we must codify through art and music these moments - less we forget the lessons learned. With the advent of COVID-19, the second movement entitled, "Realms of Rest" exposes 'alone' time that most of the global community had not experienced in 100 years or so. 

It was a time to slow down, reconnect with family, losing time - not just in hours but in weeks and months. At one point, I personally couldn't even keep track of days with oftentimes its repetitive motion of just existing - my calendar remaining blank for months. Time during the pandemic for me was an odd ethereal feeling, hanging in the balance in this new normal. While in the first movement, you feel the rushed anguish of being alone in some pretty uncertain times, the second movement in contrast essentially has no tempo - again voiced by a single violin accompanied by electronica and live electronics throughout.” 

The complete program also includes works by Back and Piazzolla, with commentary from Mok: 

PROGRAM 

J.S. Bach

Violin Partita No. 3, BWV 1006: Gavotte en Rondeau 

Astor Piazzolla

Tango Etude No. 4 & 5 

Sergei Prokofiev

Sonata for Solo Violin, Op. 115

I. Moderato

II. Andante dolce. Tema con variazioni

III. Con brio. Allegro precipitato 

John Wineglass 

Alone 

Bios for the artists can be found on the Symphony’s website. 

Lighting design was provided by Ken Smith, with Technical Direction and filming from local filmmaker Doug Mueller, with crew support from IATSE. Alone was sponsored by the William and Patricia Smith Family Foundation. The concert was sponsored by Gary and Carolyn Bjorklund, Bruce and Whiz Lindsey, and Lee and Shirley Rosen. 

The mission of the Monterey Symphony, founded in 1946 and incorporated in 1947, is to engage, educate and excite our community through the performance and continual discovery of symphonic music. The Symphony is committed to bringing music to listeners during the time of COVID through Balcony Sessions, online content, and Music for Your Ears – a new series aimed at students in grades 3-8. 

Contact: 
Marci Bracco Cain 
The Buzz PR LLC 
Salinas, CA 
(831) 747-7455 
https://www.montereysymphony.org/Monterey Symphony Announces Next Balcony Session Featuring Concertmaster Christina Mok