Dosia McKay
Pan Harmonia Explores Music by Local Composers
Pan Harmonia, in collaboration with Opal String Quartet, presents Dosia McKay’s Is Now Not Enough? and Michael Hosford’s Time Friday, November 11, at 7:30 p.m. at Saint James Episcopal Church and Sunday, November 13, at 3 p.m. at Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church. The performances will also include Theme and Variations, Op. 80 for flute and string quartet, written by American composer Amy Beach, and Argentine composer Alberto Ginestera’s Impresiones de la Puna.
Hosford, an Asheville resident, is a Jullliard-trained composer as well as a trombonist. His piece questions the nature of timelessness and seeks to evoke a sense of it. McKay, also of Asheville, weaves elements of classical harmony, avant-garde, ambient soundscapes, the lyricism of Slavic folk melodies and her own visual art into her compositions. She explores the restlessness and instability of human nature in her piece for the string quartet.
“The same invisible force that propels migrating birds and fish seems to stir the human imagination in search of the ideal and the transcendent,” says McKay. “In that context, my music asks a series of restless questions that gradually give way to a gentle, and then wholehearted abandon.”
The concerts are part of the ‘Alternate Currents’ series, made possible by a grant project supported by the North Carolina Arts Council. Pan Harmonia is now in its 17th season, with a repertoire that includes world music from the Baroque period to the present and collaborations with other artists, including painters, dancers and storytellers.
“I think people who come to our shows are willing and eager to come out of their comfort zone,” says Kate Steinbeck, Pan Harmonia’s artistic director. “They want to hear recent or modern sounds and are generally adventurous.”
Saint James Episcopal Church is located at 424 West State Street, Black Mountain. Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church is at 337 Charlotte Street, Asheville. Advance tickets are $15; $20 the day of the show. Student tickets are $5 at the door. Purchase them online at panharmonia.org/shop or call 828.254.7123.
