Dinosaur Annex Music Ensemble concludes its 50th Anniversary Season with Hub of the Musiverse 4, the fourth presentation of our heralded series celebrating works by composers from all over the world who have come through Boston and the United States to share their artistry through new sonic ideas.

The program features former Artistic Director Yu-Hui Chang’s significant solo cello work Alter Ego, an “inward-facing work” exploring dialogue between the performer and their instrument. Victor Marquez-Barrios’ One More Prayer, written during the Covid-19 pandemic, engages in musical dialogue with works by J. S. Bach and Alban Berg that were also written “in the face of health-related adversity.” Gilad Cohen’s Firefly Elegy mirrors the life cycle of the insect’s metamorphosis through its four life stages. Andreia Pinto Correia’s Pleistocene Landscapes for solo alto flute examines metamorphosis—geomorphological change in Lake Mungo in Australia—on a longer time scale. Michael-Thomas Foumai's Printing Kapa derives from the geometric patterns of a native Hawaiian fabric made from the bark of trees, referencing an art form prevalent in the Pacific and through Polynesia. Finally, Lei Liang’s My Windows draws inspiration sources as diverse as Tian (“heaven), Vishnu Purana, and the woods.

Special birthday tribute compositions from former artistic director and general manager Emily Koh and Peter Van Zandt Lane complete our program in this celebratory season!

Featuring:

Compositions

Yu-Hui Chang: Alter Ego

Victor Marquez-Barrios: One More Prayer

Andreia Pinto Correia: Pleistocene Landscape

Michael-Thomas Foumai: Printing Kapa

Gilad Cohen: Firefly Elegy

Lei Liang: My Windows

Emily Koh: Whispering Fossils

Peter Van Zandt Lane: 50for50

Musicians

Sue-Ellen Hershman-Tcherepnin, alto flute

Amy Advocat, clarinet

Charles Overton, harp

Donald Berman, piano

Omar Chen Guey, violin

Anne Black, viola

Stephen Marotto, cello

Orlando Cela, conductor

The concert is made possible by the Massachusetts Cultural Council; the Watertown Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency; the Social Action Committee of First Parish Watertown; and the Alice M. Ditson Fund.

The Wicked film star brings her powerhouse voice and dazzling talent to our opening night celebration.

Corporate support for Thursday evening's concert is generously provided by BSO Business Partner Bayberry Financial Services.

Creating meaningful and joyful human connection through music, Trio Oko highlights their distinctive harp trio instrumentation with the world premiere of a Solo(s) Together work by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail, created just for them. Esmail’s Piano Trio features on the program, arranged for Trio Oko by harpist Charles Overton. Other selections honor the spirit of Solo(s) Together, giving performers space to shine, one at a time.   

When:
Saturday, May 03, 2025 3:00p -
4:30p

Where:
Bethel A.M.E. Church
86 Wachusett St
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Admission:
FREE

Our final concert of the season will feature the incredibly versatile and multi-talented harpist Charles Overton. Equally at home in an orchestra or in a jazz club, his performances have been lauded as spontaneous, dazzling and innovative. Mr. Overton aims to create a musical environment that is accessible, exciting, and resonates deeply with audiences. From lush and romantic works like Andante Religioso by Henriette Renie and Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro, to Eric Satie’s meditative Le Fils Des Etoiles, jazz standards, and a new work by Mr. Overton himself, you will be amazed by the beauty and versatility of the harp. The program will conclude with a new, uplifting Song for the Spirit by Kevin Harris. This Winsor tradition asks the audience to sing along and will be a joyful way to end this sure to be memorable evening!

Performers

Charles Overton, Harp; Rane Moore, Clarinet; Sarah Brady, Flute ; Peggy Pearson, Oboe Gabriela Díaz, Violin ; Katherine Winterstein, Violin Cara Pogossian, Viola ; David Russell, cello

Program

Henriette Renie Andante Religioso

Claude Debussy Arabesque #2

Erik Satie (T.Takemitsu) Le Fils Des Etoiles

Gilad Cohen Trio for a Spry Clarinet, Weeping Cello & Ruminating Harp

Charles Overton Once More

Richard Rogers My Favorite Things, arr. Overton

Morgan Lewis How High the Moon, arr. Overton

Kevin Harris Song for the Spirit world premiere

Maurice Ravel Introduction and Allegro

Presented by: Handsome Tours & Astral People

Astral People & Handsome Tours presents SHABAKA.

Shabaka’s work transcends conventional notions of genre, drawing from a vast palette of cultural influences. While he’s undeniably a pioneering voice in the renaissance of British jazz, his scope is much broader. He has performed classical concertos with world-leading orchestras, led several hugely influential bands (Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming, Shabaka and The Ancestors), and recently released a critically acclaimed solo album, Afrikan Culture – a work of exceptional beauty and urgency, centred around the East Asian instrument, the Shakuhachi, of which Shabaka is a major exponent.

Presented by: Handsome Tours & Astral People

Astral People & Handsome Tours presents SHABAKA.

Shabaka’s work transcends conventional notions of genre, drawing from a vast palette of cultural influences. While he’s undeniably a pioneering voice in the renaissance of British jazz, his scope is much broader. He has performed classical concertos with world-leading orchestras, led several hugely influential bands (Sons of Kemet, The Comet is Coming, Shabaka and The Ancestors), and recently released a critically acclaimed solo album, Afrikan Culture – a work of exceptional beauty and urgency, centred around the East Asian instrument, the Shakuhachi, of which Shabaka is a major exponent.

Melissa Almaguer is a multidisciplinary tap dance artist, improviser and educator born and raised in Mexico now based in Brooklyn, NY. Inspired by nature, indigenous practices, philosophy, and Afrofuturism she uses tap dance as her instrument to create communal spaces for sonic exploration.

Charles Overton - Harp 
Henry Fraser - Bass 

Pricing

$30
(inclusive of advance phone/web service fee; door price)

Performers

EMMA POWELL, violin

MINA KIM, cello

CHARLES OVERTON, harp

“Three accomplished individuals playing as a seamless ensemble” The Boston Musical Intelligencer

Praised for their "profound communication" and "thoughtful choices of timbre, articulation, dynamic contrast, and balance" Trio Oko the Boston-based trio of musicians met at Tanglewood Music Center in 2016 and united with a mutual belief in the power of music to create meaningful human connections. The ensemble aims to expand the harp trio repertoire by commissioning new works and arrangements. Their intention is to showcase the diverse capabilities inherent to this distinctive instrumentation.

Their Midday Music program of early 20th Century French music weaves together the spirited nuances of Jacques Ibert’s Trio with the elegant lyricism of Henriette Renié’s Trio; both works for violin, cello, and harp.

Trio Oko shared the Japanese dish okonomiyaki (cooked by the master chef, Emma!) in their first rehearsal along with giggles (hence, Oko—) and happily committed to bringing joy to concert halls through their collaborations and friendship.

Tickets: Age 35+: $32 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish.

Richardson BuildingRichardson Building40 Washington Street, Quincy, MA, 02169

Join us for a Sunday afternoon concert in the beautiful historic Richardson Building for a performance by Trio Oko. 

Praised for their "profound communication," and "thoughtful choices of timbre, articulation, dynamic contrast, and balance," Trio Oko is a harp trio based in Boston consisting of violinist Emma Powell, cellist Mina Kim, and harpist Charles Overton. The three musicians met at Tanglewood Music Center in 2016 and united with a mutual belief in the power of music to create meaningful human connections to form Trio Oko. The ensemble aims to expand the harp trio repertoire by commissioning new works and arrangements. Their intention is to showcase the diverse capabilities inherent to this distinctive instrumentation. 

The Richardson Building seats a maximum of 100 and on some occasions we do have to turn people away when that capacity is reached. We recommend planning ahead and leaving time for parking, which can be tricky in Quincy Center. On Sundays, if the Library parking lot is full, there is overflow parking available in front of the Coddington Building, across the street from the Library on Coddington Street. Doors open 15 minutes before the start of the performance. If you'd prefer to watch from home, the event will also be LIVESTREAMED to our YouTube channel and recorded and aired at a later date on QATV.

This program is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library. Click here to find out more about their work and how you can get involved.