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Fragments
ALISA WEILERSTEIN, cello
Saturday, April 6, 4:00 p.m.
Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
"...The result of her reflections shines with uncommon ambition, so much so that it is hard to think of many soloists of a similar stature who would dare to bring anything like it to the stage." - The New York Times
Lauded for her deep musical insight, technical brilliance, and creative authority, Washington Performing Arts friend and MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient Alisa Weilerstein returns with her innovative, theatrical new project Fragments. Weilerstein conceived of and has collaborated with 27 composers representing nine nationalities and varied musical styles to create a unique arc that intersperses movements of Bach cello suites with 10-minute fragments of newly commissioned works. Audiences will not know the order of the program until its conclusion, adding to the immersive experience. Each hour-long program at the Terrace Theater features a mix of Bach and these elegant new fragments, including a D.C.- and world-premiere performance.
The New York Times writes, "This project is intended to reimagine what a cello recital can be, to challenge some of the conventions that Weilerstein thinks might inhibit a listener’s immediate response to the music, and to add layers of theatricality to the arguably staid traditions of the concert hall, in an acceptance that a musician is, after all, performing on a stage.”
Washington Performing Arts is a co-commissioner of Fragments. The 7:30 p.m. performance of Fragments features different repertoire and is the second-annual Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Recital—an annual Washington Performing Arts’s performance to honor a dear friend of Washington Performing Arts, elevating new work of both established and renowned artists.
This performance is an external rental presented in coordination with the Kennedy Center Campus Rentals Office and is not produced by the Kennedy Center.
Washington Performing Arts is committed to ensuring visitors of all abilities can experience the performances and programs we present. We partner with our venues to ensure accommodations are available. For specific questions about accessibility at our Kennedy Center events, please visit https://www.kennedy-center.org/visit/accessibility or contact us at patronservices@washingtonperformingarts.org.
This performance is made possible through the generous support of the Dallas Morse Coors Foundation for the Performing Arts.
Washington Performing Arts’s classical music performances this season are made possible in part through the generous support of Betsy and Robert Feinberg.
Special thanks to the following lead supporters of Washington Performing Arts’s mission-driven work: Jacqueline Badger Mars and Mars, Incorporated; D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities; and the National Capital Arts and Cultural Affairs Program and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.
