Seth Parker Woods
(James Holt)
Sergio A. Mims writes:
Here's an excellent and inspirational article from the Seattle Symphony's website about cellist Seth Woods becoming for first Artist in Residence for Octave 9 Raisbeck Music center which is the the Symphony’s new venue for immersive musical experience
The remarkable cellist will be the first-ever Artist in Residence for Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center.
By Andrew Stiefel and James Holt
Cellist Seth Parker Woods
has made a career of challenging boundaries, appearing with artists
ranging from Peter Gabriel, Sting, Lady Gaga and Adele to performing at
institutions including Carnegie Hall, Tate Modern, Royal Albert Hall and
New York City Ballet.
Now his artistic adventure continues with the Seattle Symphony.
Parker Woods will be the first-ever Artist in Residence for Octave 9: Raisbeck Music Center,
the Symphony’s new venue for immersive musical experiences which will
open next March at Benaroya Hall. In preparation, Parker Woods spent a
week embedding himself into the Symphony’s community and education
projects earlier this fall.
As a boy in Houston, Parker Woods recalls growing up in a
home filled with music. His father was a jazz and gospel singer and his
mother is a fan of ballet and opera. He recalls sitting on her lap on
Sunday afternoons, listening to his father’s band rehearse.
But Parker Woods says that he was inspired to play the cello after watching The Witches of Eastwick,
a 1987 film based on a novel by John Updike. “There’s this scene with
Susan Sarandon’s character playing her cello until the instrument bursts
into flames,” he laughs. “I was five at the time I saw the film and
that seemed like exactly what I wanted to do.”
He started cello lessons shortly after with David Garrett,
at the time a cellist with the Houston Symphony. Seth eagerly took in
everything his teacher could offer. “He would make mixtapes for me of
famous cellists and concertos, labeling everything on the cover for me.
That was my guide and, really, my introduction to classical music and
the cello.”
Even as he quickly embraced his instrument, Parker Woods
remembers feeling out of place in the world of classical music. “There
was no one who looked like me as a cellist, or even a string player,
when I was growing up. I never saw an African American or even a Latino
string player doing classical music on major concert stages,” he
remarks. “So I looked to opera singers for role models, artists like
Kathleen Battle, Leontyne Price, Jessye Norman and Denyce Graves.”
That’s partly why he has brought a community-first approach to his residency with the Seattle Symphony.
“We can invite people to attend concerts downtown but
going out into the community is where it really matters and where it
will make the most impact,” he explains. “These smaller spaces make
one-on-one interaction possible, so you can share your story and talk
about your journey, what it was like applying to school and starting a
career.”
In October he performed two Community Concerts, hosted an
Open Rehearsal and participated in a youth-led panel alongside fellow
cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason. “Giving concerts is only part of the job of a
musician — you have to show up in other ways too,” says Parker Woods.
Committed to redefining the image of a classically trained
cellist in the 21th century, Parker Woods has made it his personal
mission to affirm the importance of music being created today,
commissioning and championing a wide spectrum of music. And he brings a
contagious enthusiasm to how he talks about new music, inviting the
audience to fall in the love with it.
“I think people have to find themselves in a work,” he
explains. “People can relate to music regardless of when it was written,
but, for me, sharing these stories and these narratives about why a
piece was created today, and why a composer responded a certain way, can
help people reflect in a very different way.”
For the Community Concerts in Des Moines and Tukwila, he performed Rebecca Saunder’s Ire
Concerto for Cello, Strings and Percussion with Associate Conductor
Pablo Rus Broseta and a chamber ensemble of Seattle Symphony musicians.
It’s a challenging work for musicians and audiences alike
and “isn’t what we’d typically program for a Community Concert or a
group of high school students without an artist like Seth involved,”
says Laura Reynolds, Seattle Symphony Vice President of Education &
Community Engagement. “But his artistic vision and his lived experience
collaborating with the composer herself inspired teens and community
members alike to explore the ways that we can experience new ideas
together.”
No comments:
Post a Comment