The 21st Century Consort, new music ensemble-in-residence at the
Smithsonian Institution for 3 decades, embarks on its third season at
the Smithsonian American Art Museums Nan Tucker McEvoy Auditorium.
The third concert of their 2009-10 season, FLORA and FAUNA, features
music by Kaija Saariaho, Scott Wheeler, Evan Chambers, and The Book of Imaginary Beings, composed by Robert
Parris in 1972, based on the literary work by Jorge Luis Borges.
Led
by artistic director Christopher Kendall and featuring some of
Washingtons finest chamber musicans, including Sara Stern, Paul Cigan,
Gabrielle Finck, Lisa Emenheiser, Tom Jones, Elisabeth Adkins, Rachel
Young, and Rick Barber, along with acclaimed guest vocalists Lucy
Shelton and William Sharp and others, the Consort presents the riveting
and resonant music of our time.
All concerts are at 5:00, preceded by a 4:00 discussion with
composers and performers, and followed by a post-concert reception.