Family Concert: Millie and the Quest for the Golden Pierogi
Details
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Selections from Nonet
Becca Hart,
illustrator
JuCoby Johnson, writer
Olivia Wilusz, performer
Christine Kim, oboe
Sang Yoon Kim, clarinet
Kai Rocke, bassoon
Patrick Pridemore, horn
Timothy Lovelace, piano
Eunice Kim, violin
Dana Kelley, viola
Joshua Koestenbaum, cello
Zachary Cohen, double bass
JuCoby Johnson, writer
Olivia Wilusz, performer
Christine Kim, oboe
Sang Yoon Kim, clarinet
Kai Rocke, bassoon
Patrick Pridemore, horn
Timothy Lovelace, piano
Eunice Kim, violin
Dana Kelley, viola
Joshua Koestenbaum, cello
Zachary Cohen, double bass
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor received the last part of his name from his father, who had returned home to Sierra Leone (the British colony in Africa originally established as a refuge for those who’d been freed from or escaped enslavement) without learning that a white British woman was pregnant with his son. Samuel’s mother gifted her son with an auspicious name modeled after the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and the boy’s grandfather passed on an even greater gift by introducing Samuel to his own instrument, the violin.
Coleridge-Taylor went on to enroll at London’s Royal Academy of Music at the age of 15 as a violinist, and three years later he began composition lessons as well. But even then he was already a published composer, and the Nonet he wrote in 1893, during his first year of formal composition study, shows how far he had already come in absorbing the styles of his heroes, Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák. It was only in later years that Coleridge-Taylor channeled African and African American themes into works that proved hugely influential for future generations of American composers, a project that was still gathering steam when he died of pneumonia at the age of 37.
Coleridge-Taylor showed quite a bit of originality in his Opus 2 by assembling a non-standard nonet of oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello, bass and piano. Mixed ensembles of strings and winds had been popular since the time of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, and there was ample chamber music from the past century combining piano with strings or winds, but this particular configuration of winds, strings and piano added a new level of sonic complexity that the young composer handled with aplomb. The musical materials could easily be mistaken for the themes and harmonies of Brahms or Dvořák, which is quite admirable for the work of a British teenager, and the four attractive movements make a strong case for the enormous talent that allowed Coleridge-Taylor to become a trendsetter and role model.
Aaron Grad ©2022
About This Program
Approximate length 0:50
What does it mean to be a grown up? For Millie, it’s simple — not playing with toys and definitely not hanging out with her mom and dad. Her parents are having trouble letting go, though.
What does it mean to be a grown up? For Millie, it’s simple — not playing with toys and definitely not hanging out with her mom and dad. Her parents are having trouble letting go, though.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Nonet in F Minor serves as the perfect accompaniment to this endearing story of reconnecting with loved ones and your inner child over, none other than, potatoes! This 50-minute concert is geared towards families with children ages 6-12 but will captivate the hearts and minds of all viewers of all ages.
The performance at 9:30am will be streamed live from the Ordway and will be available to watch for free in the SPCO Concert Library.
Click here for the Concert Library.
UPDATED COVID-19 SAFETY MEASURES
Policies for all SPCO free family concerts
ADULTS AND CHILDREN 12 AND OVER
• Must present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination and booster shot OR a negative COVID-19 test result (see requirements below)
• Must present a photo ID matching the name on the proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test
• Children without a photo ID can be verified by their accompanying adult
CHILDREN 11 AND UNDER
• Must present a negative Covid-19 test result (see requirements below)
We understand that children age 11 and under are not yet eligible for booster shots. In order to ensure consistency in policy implementation, all guests – including those currently ineligible for boosters — must produce a negative COVID-19 result.
TEST REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION
TEST REQUIREMENTS
Accepted forms of testing include:
• Home test taken on the day-of the event
Home tests should be presented as a photo of the test next to a piece of paper with the name and date the test was taken
• Medically supervised antigen test taken with 72 hours of the event
• Medically supervised PCR test within 72 hours of the event
TESTING RESOURCES
• Make an appointment for your free test here at a community testing site
• Additional testing sites can be searched for here
• Home tests can be purchased at local retailers and pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreens and Walmart
ALL GUESTS
• All guests will be required to wear non-cloth masks such as KF94, KN95, N95 or surgical masks.
Surgical masks in adult and child sizes will be available on-site and can be worn over or under a cloth mask as an alternative.
We strongly encourage anyone who cannot (example: children under 2) or will not reliably wear a mask for the duration of the performance to watch the livestream of this program instead of attending live. The livestream will air at 9:30am CST at thespco.org/music.
WHAT ELSE TO EXPECT
• Concert is approximately 50 minutes in length without intermission
• Attendance will be limited to 50% capacity to allow for distancing
• Both the Ordway and Capri have upgraded ventilation and filtration systems, as well as increased cleaning protocols per CDC guidance. You can learn more about this on each venue’s website.
• Musicians and performers will be masked and undergo regular testing. Wind players and speakers may appear unmasked while performing, but have undergone additional testing to do so safely.
• When you arrive, there will first be ushers available to check your vaccine cards or negative test results, then you will enter the building to pick up/present your concert tickets.
We understand that these measures require extra effort to fulfill. If you plan to attend in person, we thank you in advance for helping us present live concerts in the safest way possible. If you prefer, this program will be livestreamed for free on Saturday, March 5 at 9:30am at thespco.org/music.
Either in-person or from home, we thank you for joining us!
Concerts are currently limited to 50% capacity to allow for distancing. Tickets are available by price scale, and specific seats will be assigned and delivered a couple of weeks prior to each concert — including Print At Home tickets. Please email us at tickets@spcomail.org if you have any seating preferences or accessibility needs. Seating and price scale charts for the Ordway Concert Hall can be found at thespco.org/venues.
Contribute
SPCO concerts are made possible by audience contributions.
Newsletter
For exclusive discounts, behind-the-scenes info, and more:
Sign up for our email club!