Posted October 14, 2022
Nocturnes (Clouds & Festivals), Claude Debussy
Meri Sakhi ki Avaaz (My Sister’s Voice), featuring Saili Oak (Hindustani soprano) and Sarah Tucker (operatic soprano), Reena Esmail
Scheherazade, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
DAYTON, OH (Oct. 10, 2022) – Dayton Performing Arts Alliance continues Dayton Philharmonic’s 2022-2023 Masterworks Series with a musical journey to Far Away Places, Oct. 21-22, at 7:30 p.m. at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center. Tickets are on sale now and start at $5. For tickets, call 937-228-3630 or visit daytonperformingarts.org/tickets.
Maestro Neal Gittleman leads Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra on a musical journey from the stage of the Mead Theatre to clouds in the sky with Debussy’s Nocturnes. From there, the audience travels to far away places in Reena Esmail’s Meri Sakhi Ki Avaaz (My Sister’s Voice), highlighting Hindustani soprano Saili Oak and operatic soprano Sarah Tucker. This musical journey culminates with the seductive, romantic, and stormy tale of Scheherazade, one of Rimsky-Korsakov’s most popular orchestral works.
“October’s Far Away Places is a concert I’ve looked forward to for several years,” said Neal Gittleman, DPAA’s Artistic Director and Conductor- Dayton Philharmonic. “The program continues of the exploration of cross-cultural themes we began in last season’s East Meets West Masterwork concert. The centerpiece, My Sister’s Voice, by Indian American composer Reena Esmail, is simply the most beautiful, most exciting piece of classical music I’ve heard in years. Add Nocturnes by Debussy and Rimsky-Korsakov’s colorful symphonic suite Scheherazade, and we have a memorable evening of magnificent orchestra music.”
Far Away Places is part of DPAA’s 2022-2023 Masterworks Series, sponsored by AES Ohio Foundation, Dayton Philharmonic Volunteer Association, and The Schiewetz Foundation. Far Away Places is an Olive W. Kettering Endowed Concert. DPAA’s Masterworks Series continues through the 2022- 2023 concert season with Symphonie fantastique and Vadim Gluzman (Nov.18-19, 2022); Tchaikovsky’s “Polish Symphony” (Feb. 24-25, 2023); Perspectives: War and Peace (March 10-11, 2023) and Beethoven’s Second Symphony (May 19-20, 2023). All performances are held at the Schuster Center and begin at 7:30 pm.
Tickets start at $5 and are on sale now by phone at 937.228.3630, online at daytonperformingarts.org/tickets or in person at the Box Office in the Wintergarden of the Schuster Center downtown Dayton.
For more information about the Far Away Places performance and its accompanying digital program, visit daytonperformingarts.org/farawayplaces.
About the Artists
Saili Oak, Hindustani soprano
A native of Mumbai, Saili Oak, began studying music at age 3. A finalist on the popular reality TV series “Zee Marathi SaReGaMaPa,” Saili is a senior disciple of Dr. Ashwini Bhide Deshpande, a leading vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana. Saili won the All-India Classical Music competition when she was barely 17. She completed her Sangeet Visharad from the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal and has earned awards, including the prestigious Pt. Jasraj Yuva Award, Pt Vasantrao Deshpande Yuva Award, and the Gaanwardhan Award. Her performances have been admired for her meticulous architecture of ‘khayal,’ her systematic and well-crafted raga exploration, and her impressive command over the ‘laya.’
Saili is also known for her outstanding work in the Indian/Western Classical music crossover space. She has performed with notable western music ensembles, including the Albany Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Tonality choir, and Salastina Music Society. She has been featured on several albums, including ‘Beyond,’ ‘American Mirror,’ ‘Sing about it’ and ‘KALA.’
Sarah Tucker, operatic soprano
Praised by Opera News for “impeccable pitch and phrasing” and for “gleaming high notes and powerful phrasing” (San Diego Story), soprano Sarah Tucker is demanding attention for her captivating vocal timbre and engaging stage presence.
Ms. Tucker’s recent debut with San Diego Opera as Micaëla in Carmen was described as “heart-rending and soulful” (Pacific San Diego), and Opera West praised her as “one of the loveliest soprano voices I’ve heard in years.” Also recently, Ms. Tucker debuted the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni with Pensacola Opera; sang the role of Mimi in La Bohème with Gulfshore Opera; performed the role of Tatiana in Intermountain Opera’s Eugene Onegin, made debuts at Dallas Opera as Frasquita in Carmen, and at the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy in Japan as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi. With the Santa Fe Opera, Ms. Tucker sang the role of Echo in Ariadne auf Naxos as a returning apprentice artist.