Saint-Saëns“The Swan,” from Carnival of the AnimalsSaint-SaënsFantaisie in A for Violin and Harp, Op. 124DebussySonata for Flute, Viola, and HarpBeethovenString Quartet No. 10 in E-flat, Op. 74, “The Harp”Charles Overton – harp  Lucia Lin, Bracha Malkin – violins, Rebecca Gitter – viola, Jonathan Miller – cello, Clint Foreman – flute

Saint-Saëns“The Swan,” from Carnival of the AnimalsSaint-SaënsFantaisie in A for Violin and Harp, Op. 124DebussySonata for Flute, Viola, and HarpBeethovenString Quartet No. 10 in E-flat, Op. 74, “The Harp”Charles Overton – harp  Lucia Lin, Bracha Malkin – violins, Rebecca Gitter – viola, Jonathan Miller – cello, Clint Foreman – flute

About This Performance

Brothers Anthony and Demarre McGill have achieved a phenomenal level of success in the classical music world. The only siblings ever to win the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Anthony was appointed the principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic, and Demarre is the principal flutist of the Seattle Symphony. The Grammy Award winning Catalyst Quartet and harpist Charles Overton join these two outstanding wind musicians for a program that encompasses new works by Jeff Scott and Brian Raphael Nabors and Ravel’s dazzling Introduction et Allegro.

Saint-Saëns: Fantaisie for Flute and Harp, Op. 124
Scott: Sextet  World Premiere/PCMS Co-Commission
Nabors: 7 Dances  Philadelphia Premiere
Ravel: Introduction et Allegro

The Artist(s)

Demarre McGill, flute

Demarre McGill has gained international recognition as a soloist, recitalist, chamber and orchestral musician. Winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, he has appeared as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Seattle, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Grant Park, San Diego and Baltimore symphony orchestras and, at age 15, the Chicago Symphony. Now principal flute of the Seattle Symphony,… Read More

Anthony McGill, clarinet

Hailed for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (New York Times), clarinetist Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures. In addition to his dynamic international solo and chamber music career, McGill is principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic—the first African-American principal player in the organization's history. In 2020,… Read More

Charles Overton, harp

Equally at home in an orchestra or in a jazz club, Boston-based harpist Charles Overton creates a musical environment that is accessible, exciting and can resonate deeply with any audience, regardless of the genre of music. He began his harp studies at the age of ten under the direction of Lynelle Ediger, where as a member of her "American Youth Harp Ensemble'' he was afforded the opportunity at an early age to perform internationally in notable venues such  as the Salle Gaveaux in Paris and Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall.… Read More

Catalyst Quartet

Hailed by The New York Times at its Carnegie Hall debut as “invariably energetic and finely burnished… playing with earthy vigor,” the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet was founded by the internationally acclaimed Sphinx Organization in 2010. The ensemble (Karla Donehew Perez, violin; Abi Fayette, violin; Paul Laraia, viola; and Karlos Rodriguez, cello) believes in the unity that can be achieved through music and imagine their programs and projects with this in mind,… Read More

THE BIG EARS FESTIVAL BRINGS TOGETHER ARTISTS AND MUSIC LOVERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD FOR AN EXHILARATING, UNFORGETTABLE FOUR DAYS OF MUSICAL ADVENTURE, DISCOVERY, AND FUN.

Nestled in Knoxville’s intimate and historic downtown, festival goers are offered nearly 200 performances during the festival—at restored historic theaters, soaring churches, refurbished warehouse spaces, museums, galleries, and clubs—with pop-up events and performances, exhibitions, films, literary readings, workshops, markets and talks taking place in cafes, bars, hotels, restaurants, in alleyways and other nooks and crannies of the city. The festival experience is full of surprises.

A festival pass offers access to all publicly announced performances—enabling festival goers to not only see familiar artists that they know and love, but also to explore the music of artists with whom they are not already familiar.

With a very rare exception, everything—all of the venues, along with Knoxville’s finest hotels and award-winning restaurants—is within an easy, short walk of everything else, with a dedicated festival trolley service offering assistance should you wish to rest up for a moment and catch your breath.

While no two Big Ears are quite the same, each year the festival presents many of the world’s most visionary composers and musicians, artists whose work reaches for new heights and expands to new frontiers. The programming transcends generation and genre—bringing together iconic trailblazers and young iconoclasts performing and sometimes blending classical and contemporary composition, jazz, rock, folk traditions from throughout the world, pop, drone, avant-garde, ambient and beyond.

Previous performers and attendees have included John Luther Adams, Laurie Anderson, Art Ensemble of Chicago, Carla Bley, Anthony Braxton, Gavin Bryars, Bryce Dessner, eighth blackbird, Bela Fleck, Philip Glass, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Milford Graves, Jonny Greenwood, Mary Halvorson, Jon Hassell, Vijay Iyer, Kayhan Kalhor, Kronos Quartet, Alvin Lucier,  Roscoe Mitchell, Meredith Monk, Jason Moran, the National, the Necks, Joanna Newsom, Angel Olsen, Evan Parker, The Punch Brothers, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Wadada Leo Smith, Sons of Kemet, St. Vincent, Supersilent, Swans, Wilco, and hundreds of others. You can find previous festival lineups HERE.

The next Big Ears Festival is scheduled for March 21 – March 24, 2024.

The magical qualities of light formed the inspiration for this program for strings, winds, and harp. Haydn’s famous “Sunrise” quartet and Ravel’s impressionist “Introduction and Allegro” pair with Gilad Cohen’s “Firefly Elegy” – a musical portrait of the life of a lightning bug – and a premiere by Richmond’s own Zachary Wadsworth.

Program: 
Joseph Haydn,  Quartet in B-flat major, op. 76 No. 4 (“Sunrise”) 
Zachary Wadsworth, New work
Gilad Cohen, “Firefly Elegy”
Maurice Ravel,  “Introduction and Allegro”

With:
Grant Houston, Violin
Abi Fayette, Violin
Caleb Georges, Viola
James Wilson, Cello
Mary Boodell, Flute
David Lemelin, Clarinet
Charles Overton, Harp

More Details Soon

Impulse! at NYC Winter Jazzfest

Shabaka w/ esperanza spalding, Brandee Younger, Charles Overton / Irreversible Entanglements / Brandee Younger performs Alice Coltrane / The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis

(le) poisson rouge

158 Bleecker St, New York, NY, 10012

6 PM Doors | 7 PM Show

$45 GA Advance | $55 GA Day of Show

More Details Soon

Lark & Thurber with Charles Overton

Tessa Lark, violin | Michael Thurber, bass | Charles Overton, harp

Sunday, January 7, 2024 | 3PM

Sedona Performing Arts Center – 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Rd, Sedona, AZ 86336

Program

Works across a multitude of genres by Tessa Lark, Michael Thurber, Charles Overton, J.S. Bach, and more.

Details

Wed, Nov 15, 7:30 – 10:30 PM

Pulaski Technical College The Center for Humanities and Arts.
3000 W. Scenic Dr., North Little Rock, AR

TUESDAY MATINEES
CLAUDE DEBUSSY  –  Afternoon of a Faun (arr. for Flute & Harp by Judy Loman)
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN  –  My Favorite Things (solo harp)
FRANCIS POULENC  –  Sonata for Flute & Piano (arr. for flute & harp by JULIA ROVINSKY)
LOWELL LIEBERMANN  –  Sonata for Flute and Harp
ASTOR PIAZZOLLA  –  Histoire du Tango

Equally at home in an orchestra or in a jazz club, Boston-based harpist Charles Overton creates a musical environment that is accessible, exciting and resonates deeply with any audience. Known for his “soaring flute... where dance and song become possible again” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer), Anthony Trionfo is a “breezily virtuosic” (The New York Times) musician actively building one of today’s most exciting musical careers.

Two expressive and versatile harpists from across the Americas join forces for this memorable harp duo concert. Venezuelan harpist Eduardo Betancourt and American harpist Charles Overton perform traditional interpretations, jazz standards, and originals in a unique concert that unites music from across the Americas. These two brilliant artists will make you hear the harp in a whole new way!

Eduardo Betancourt & Charles Overton, harps

Sat | October 28 | 3pm | Arlington Street Church, 25 Arlington Street, Back Bay

https://www.celebrityseries.org/productions/betancourt-overton-harp-duo-sat/

Two expressive and versatile harpists from across the Americas join forces for this memorable harp duo concert. Venezuelan harpist Eduardo Betancourt and American harpist Charles Overton perform traditional interpretations, jazz standards, and originals in a unique concert that unites music from across the Americas. These two brilliant artists will make you hear the harp in a whole new way!

Eduardo Betancourt & Charles Overton, harps

Fri | October 27 | 7:30pm | Harvard-Epworth Church, 1555 Mass Ave., Harvard Square

https://www.celebrityseries.org/productions/betancourt-overton-harp-duo-fri/

PCMF Insights Tal

Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St | Portland

Join us for this free event to hear how PCMF Resident Artist Charles Overton approaches improvising on the harp, and how his classical and jazz backgrounds have helped inform his musical voice. This moderated talk will include live demonstrations, with time at the end for an audience Q&A.

Related Events:

• Charles Overton Quartet (Friday, August 11 at SPACE)
   

• Program II: Summer Dreams (Saturday, August 12 at Hannaford Hall)